LEADER OF THE HOUSE

Departments: Internet

Theresa May: To ask the Leader of the House for which Government websites he is responsible; how many visitors each received in the last period for which figures are available; and what the cost  (a) was of establishing and  (b) has been of maintaining each site.

Jack Straw: I am responsible for the website www.commonsleader.gov.uk. During 2006, the website received a total of 6,646,720 hits (an average of 553,893 hits per month), with the number of unique users in an average month being 45,037.
	The total cost for the initial development and software amounted to £44,689 in 2003. The annual cost of hosting the website is £7,044. Extra costs may be incurred for development and maintenance on an ad hoc basis.

PRIME MINISTER

Iraq: Weapons

John Baron: To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his Oral Answer of 2 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1505, on engagements, what the basis was of his claim on 24 September 2002 that, if he were able to purchase fissile material illegally, it would be only a year or two before Saddam Hussein acquired a usable nuclear weapon.

Tony Blair: These matters have been examined during the course of the Butler Review and other inquiries, and covered during debates and statements on Iraq and in briefings by my Official Spokesman. All relevant information has been placed in the public domain in as far as that could be done without prejudicing national security.

TRANSPORT

Aviation: Environment Protection

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the environmental impact of the Aviation White Paper's proposal on expanding Heathrow airport; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: We maintain a close working relationship with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), at both official and ministerial level, on the programme of work to review further development of Heathrow. Officials from DEFRA participated in the technical panel work on air quality which reported last July, and our respective officials have had a number of discussions since on the environmental issues.

Departments: ICT

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the  (a) originally estimated,  (b) most recently estimated and  (c) outturn cost was of the five largest information technology contracts agreed by his Department with outside suppliers over the last five years.

Gillian Merron: A table showing the five largest information technology contracts agreed by the Department over the last five years has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	
		
			  Top five IT contracts in the Department for Transport over the last five years 
			  Date awarded/commencement date  Title/Nature of work  Awarded by  Supplier  Original estimate (£  million )  Outturn cost (if complete) (£  million )  Most recent estimate (if ongoing) (£  million ) 
			 12 September 2002 Partners Achieving Change Together(1) DVLA IBM 287.30 n/a 437.00 
			 May 2002 Business Services and Operational Network Management VOSA Various(2) 346.60 n/a 430.80 
			 20 December 2002 Transport Direct Website DfT(c) Atos Origin 14.90 n/a 34.60 
			 1 January 2005 Provision of information services Driving Standards Agency Capita 22.00 n/a 22.00 
			 22 May 2003 Supply of smart cards for digital tachograph equipment DVLA Security Printing and Systems Ltd 12.00 n/a 15.90 
			 (1) Set up and transition costs have been excluded from the above figures. (2) Overall cost of all ICT services due to issues of commercial confidentiality.  Notes The original estimate excludes indexation. The figures are provided on a resource basis (not cash basis). Support for new systems has been added (subject to change control) which has added to this baseline. Indexation has also been added each year. This explains the difference between the original estimate and the outturn.

Driving: Diabetes

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether his Department is undertaking the additional research recommended in the Road Safety Research Report Number 61, 'Stratifying Hypoglycaemic Event Risk in Insulin-treated Diabetes'.

Stephen Ladyman: No decision as yet has been made about commissioning further research.
	The Secretary of State's Honorary Medical Advisory Panel on Diabetes and Driving is awaiting agreement from the European Commission's Committee on the Diabetes EC Working Group recommendations, before advising on whether changes can be made to the current medical standards for driving licences or further research is needed.

Driving: Licensing

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport for what reason EU driving licences cannot be upgraded in the UK; and whether there are plans to allow such upgrading in the future.

Stephen Ladyman: European legislation on driving licences does not allow for the member state of residence to amend a driving licence document issued by another member state to show additional driving entitlements.
	DVLA must require the surrender of the original driving licence before a UK licence can be issued showing any new entitlements gained within the UK.
	We are not aware of any plans to allow for the upgrade of licence documents in future amendments to European legislation.

Heathrow Airport

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate his Department has made of the number of passengers travelling to and from Heathrow airport by  (a) private motor vehicles,  (b) taxis,  (c) London Underground and  (d) Heathrow Express in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Gillian Merron: The estimated number of passengers using each mode of transport at Heathrow airport in each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			  Heathrow airport 
			  million 
			  Mode of transport:  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Private Car 13.4 14.2 14.3 15.2 14.5 
			 Hire Car 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.2 1.2 
			 Taxi/Minicab 10.0 10.3 10.1 11.2 11.4 
			 Tube 4.9 5.3 5.6 6.1 5.8 
			 Bus/Coach 4.9 4.9 5.0 5.4 6.0 
			 Rail 3.2 3.5 3.6 4.0 4.2 
			 (Of which: Heathrow Express) (3.1) (3.4) (3.5) (4.0) (4.0) 
			 Other 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.2 
			 No answer 3.4 0.1 0.2 0.4 0.3 
			 Total terminating passengers (million) 41.1 39.6 40.1 43.6 43.6 
			  Note: These results are based on a departure survey only. The assumption, for weighting purposes, is that arriving and departing passengers share the same modal characteristics.  Source:  CAA Passenger Survey

Roads: Accidents

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many fatal road traffic accidents were recorded in the West Mercia police authority area between 22 and 29 April 2005.

Stephen Ladyman: Between 22 and 29 April 2005, there were three fatal personal injury road accidents reported in the West Mercia police authority area.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Forests

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to increase the acreage of woodland and forests to increase the absorption of carbon dioxide.

Barry Gardiner: Growing trees have the capacity to sequester carbon and existing woodlands contain a significant carbon stock. Young, fast growing species sequester carbon fastest, but these are not necessarily the trees that bring the greatest public benefits for wildlife, amenity and access. Carbon dioxide absorption is, therefore, valued as an additional benefit to the principal environmental and social objectives of woodland creation supported by the Forestry Commission's English Woodland Grant Scheme (EWGS).
	The incentives offered through EWGS over the next few years will be influenced by the outcome of the refreshed England Forestry Strategy, the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 and the Rural Development Programme for England 2007-13.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what global greenhouse gas stabilization target, expressed in carbon dioxide equivalent, the Government are using as a basis for their policies.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 10 May 2007
	The UK Government's climate change policies are based on limiting global mean temperature rise to 2°( )C above pre-industrial levels. This mirrors the European Union's 2° C stabilisation target.
	The Government agree with the European Commission that, to meet that objective, the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases has to remain well below 550 parts per million volume carbon dioxide equivalent. This will require global greenhouse gas emissions to fall by between 15 and 50 per cent. below 1990 levels by 2050, with reductions in developed countries of between 60 and 80 per cent. The UK's target of a 60 per cent. reduction in carbon dioxide emissions is consistent with this approach.
	We will keep our emission reduction target under review and the draft climate change Bill includes a provision for it to be amended if required.

Heathrow Airport

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether his Department is planning to contribute to the Heathrow expansion consultation by the Department for Transport; what discussions he has had with the Department for Transport on that matter; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The Department for Transport has kept DEFRA in close touch on the programme of work to review further development of Heathrow airport. DEFRA participated in the technical panel work on air quality which reported last July, and discussions on other environmental issues have taken place between the two Departments.

Heating: Carbon Emissions

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he has taken to tackle carbon dioxide emissions from outdoor space heaters.

Ian Pearson: Very limited information is available about the number of outdoor patio heaters in use in the UK. DEFRA's Market Transformation Programme (MTP) has estimated that there are approximately 630,000 in use in the domestic sector and between 26,000 and 105,000 in the hospitality sector (pubs, restaurants and hotels).
	Making reasonable assumptions about fuel, power rating, and level of usage, the MTP estimates annual energy consumption to be approximately 670 gigawatt-hours (GWh) in the domestic sector and between 280 and 1,100 GWh in the hospitality sector. The corresponding annual carbon dioxide emissions are 140,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide in the domestic sector and between 60,000 and 240,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide in the in the hospitality sector. Further information is available from the MTP's website at:
	www.mtprog.com.
	The Government are committed to raising product standards and encouraging people to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions. However, as a member of the European single market, the Government cannot by itself introduce mandatory minimum standards for appliances on the basis of their energy efficiency as it would inhibit their free trade. In order to set such standards we need to persuade other member states that this is necessary across the EU. The Eco-Design for Energy Using Products (EUP) Framework Directive provides a streamlined and effective route for setting such requirements. The European Commission has currently identified a list of 20 priority products for action. At present, patio heaters are not on this list.

Lighting

Bruce George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions his Department has had with the Department of Health on the implications for people with light sensitivity conditions of phasing out the sale of incandescent light bulbs.

Caroline Flint: I have been asked to reply.
	The Department is aware of the need to consider health implications in the event of incandescent light bulbs being phased out. Departmental officials have already had discussions with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and other Government Departments that have an interest in these matters.

Renewable Energy

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with colleagues in the Department of Trade and Industry on merging activities connected to the delivery of support for renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Ian Pearson: None.

Warm Front Scheme

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans his Department has to extend funding available via the warm homes scheme to cover the installation of new and environmentally sustainable technologies; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: I assume the hon. Member is referring to the warm front scheme.
	Technologies not currently offered by the warm front scheme are assessed to establish their suitability. Considerations include cost, energy efficiency and ease of use.

Warm Front Scheme

Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average excess payable by households receiving warm front grants is in each  (a) local authority area and  (b) Government office region.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 8 May 2007
	The information requested is not collected centrally and a response could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Water: Meters

Howard Stoate: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate his Department has made of the number of metered households in each local authority area in England which  (a) are eligible for and  (b) have been granted assistance in paying their water bills under the Vulnerable Groups Regulations.

Ian Pearson: The Water Industry (Charges) (Vulnerable Groups) Regulations 1999 apply for metered customers who meet certain criteria to protect them from paying large water bills.
	Ofwat, the economic regulator of the water and sewerage industry in England and Wales, collects data on the number of households receiving assistance under the Vulnerable Groups Regulations in the water companies' annual June returns. The latest figures on the number of households that have been granted assistance in paying their water bills are from 2005-06 and are reported by water company rather than local authority area, and are set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of households receiving assistance under vulnerable groups tariff: 2005-06 
			  Water company  Number of households 
			 Anglian 719 
			 Dwr Cymru 426 
			 Northumbrian (North East and Essex and Suffolk) 672 
			 Severn Trent 1,223 
			 South West 2,962 
			 Southern 324 
			 Thames 1,780 
			 United Utilities 1,447 
			 Wessex 622 
			 Yorkshire 1,308 
			 Bournemouth and W Hampshire 96 
			 Bristol 391 
			 Cambridge 97 
			 Dee Valley 16 
			 Folkestone and Dover 42 
			 Mid Kent 103 
			 Portsmouth 30 
			 South East Water 114 
			 South Staffordshire 139 
			 Sutton and East Surrey 64 
			 Tendring Hundred 328 
			 Three Valleys 284 
			 Total 13,187 
		
	
	Ofwat has not made an estimate of the number of metered households eligible under the vulnerable groups regulations.

Water: Shortages

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the  (a) dates and  (b) durations of hose pipe bans in each water company area were in each year since 2000.

Ian Pearson: holding answer 10 May 2007
	 Water companies introduce hosepipe bans under their own powers in the Water Industry Act 1991. The following table shows when hosepipe bans were introduced and lifted, and the approximate duration of the bans. No hosepipe bans were imposed in the period 2000-04.
	
		
			  Water company/supply zone  Hosepipe ban introduced  Hosepipe ban removed  Duration of restrictions (months approx.) 
			  Sutton and East Surrey
			 Company wide (1)— 18 January 2007 21 
			 
			  Southern Water
			 Sussex North 10 June 2005 18 January 2007 19 
			 Sussex Coast 11 July 2005 18 January 2007 18 
			 Hastings, Thanet, Medway 30 July 2005 18 January 2007 17.5 
			 Isle of Wight 24 March 2006 18 January 2007 10 
			 
			  SE Water
			 Sussex and Kent 30 July 2005 6 February 2007 18 
			 Northern zone 3 April 2006 6 February 2007 10 
			 
			  Cholderton and District
			 Company wide 1 July 2005 18 December 2006 17.5 
			 
			  Mid Kent
			 Company wide 8 August 2005 28 February 2007 19 
			 
			  Thames Water
			 Company wide 3 April 2006 18 January 2007 9.5 
			 
			  Three Valleys Water
			 Company wide 3 April 2006 18 January 2007 9.5 
			 (1) Unattended hosepipe (e.g. sprinkler) ban from 22 April 2005, full ban from 1 March 2006

Water: South East Region

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the status is of the proposed new and extended reservoir developments in  (a) Broad Oak, Kent,  (b) Clay Hill, East Sussex,  (c) Havant Thicket, Hampshire,  (d) Upper Thames, Oxon,  (e) Bewl Enlargement, Kent,  (f) Bray Enlargement, Berkshire and  (g) Abberton, Essex.

Ian Pearson: These proposed reservoir developments were set out in water companies' 25 year water resources plans prepared in 2004 for the periodic review of water prices. Companies envisaged they would be developed in the period up to 2020. It is the responsibility of the companies concerned to apply for the necessary planning, abstraction, impounding and other consents required.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Broadband

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many and what proportion of homes had access to broadband in each year since 2000; what  (a) estimates of and  (b) targets for broadband access his Department has made for future years; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: Since 2000 the number of homes which have access to broadband in each year is as follows: 2000 (30 per cent.), 2001 (49 per cent.), 2002 (63 per cent.), 2003 (85 per cent.), 2004 (93.3 per cent.), 2005 (99.6 per cent.) and 2006 (99.8 per cent.).
	The Department has not  (a) estimated or  (b) set any targets for future broadband access. The Telecomms Adjudicator has responsibility for setting future targets for broadband access. Their target of 98 per cent. for 2006 was met and surpassed in December 2005. Further information can be found on their website
	http://www.offta.org.uk/charts.htm.

Carbon Sequestration: Renewables Obligation

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reasons clean electricity generated using carbon capture and storage technology is not included in the renewables obligation.

Malcolm Wicks: The Renewables Obligation is the Government's key mechanism for encouraging the generation of electricity from renewable sources. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is used to store the carbon emissions produced during the generation of electricity by fossil fuel generating stations. This technology is therefore not eligible under the RO as it does not involve the production of electricity from renewable sources. However, the Government are supportive of it and announced in the 2007 Budget that the UK would run a competition for full scale demonstration of CCS. We are also pressing for CCS to be recognised in the EU Emissions Trading Scheme.

Departments: India

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which Ministers in his Department have visited India in the last 12 months; on how many occasions each Minister visited India; and what the length was of each visit.

Ian McCartney: This Government publish an annual list of Cabinet Ministers' travel overseas costing over £500 along with the total cost of all ministerial travel. Information for 2005-06 was published on 24 July 2006 and is available in the Library of the House. Information for 2006-07 will be published as soon as it is ready.
	All travel is in accordance with the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers.
	My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State visited India once in the last 12 months on 14-17 January 2006; his visit lasted for four days.
	I as the Minister for Trade visited India once in the last 12 months on 23-27 and 29-30 November 2006; my visit lasted for six days.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many  (a) former miners and  (b) former miners' families in Copeland have received compensation payments from the Miners' Compensation Scheme.

Malcolm Wicks: The number of former miners and former miners' families in Copeland who have received compensation payments for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Vibration White Finger (VWF) are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   COPD  VWF 
			 Number of claimants who have received a damages payment 1,721 271 
			 Miners 777 235 
			 Families 944 36 
		
	
	These include some claimants who have received an interim payment but the claim is not yet settled.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether there are any outstanding compensation claims for  (a) former miners' and  (b) former miners' families that are yet to be resolved in Copeland.

Malcolm Wicks: The number of outstanding claims for former miners and former miners' families in Copeland for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and for Vibration White finger (VWF) yet to be resolved are shown in the following table:
	
		
			   COPD  VWF 
			 Number of outstanding claims 595 42 
			 Miners 135 36 
			 Families 460 6

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he plans to recover the fees paid from the public purse to solicitors acting for former miners and their families where there is evidence of double charging.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department has a contractual agreement to pay legal costs for claimants under the coal health compensation schemes. The costs and disbursements paid to solicitors are set out in the Claim Handling Agreement (CHA) under an agreed set of tariffs.
	The Department has made considerable efforts to secure repayment of fees taken in addition to those paid under the CHA and to make claimants aware of their options if they have been charged a fee. Ultimately, this is a matter for the Regulation and Legal Complaints Boards of the Law Society with whom we continue to work to seek redress. The Department's Compensation for Miners newsletter features advice on this issue and the Legal Complaints Service continues to advertise, receive and investigate complaints.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment he has made of claims for compensation for miners and former miners suffering from arthritis.

Malcolm Wicks: 15,041 rheumatic disease claims have been registered by the Department since 1998.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate he has made of the percentage of compensation payments made in Copeland to former miners and their families that were subject to double charging.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department is unable to identify where "double charging" has occurred. These are essentially matters about conduct within the legal profession and the Department has no direct role, although we continue to raise awareness of the issue in conjunction with the Legal Complaints Service and others in order that proper redress can be achieved.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what average period of time was taken to resolve a compensation claim from former miners or their families in Copeland.

Malcolm Wicks: The average period of time taken in days to resolve a compensation claim from former miners or their families in Copeland for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Vibration White Finger (VWF) are shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Average time taken in days from date of claim to date of settlement 
			   Days 
			 COPD 959 
			 VWF 1,322 
		
	
	The figures include claims settled by payment, denial, those withdrawn by solicitors and those that have been subject to strike out. Many claimants will have payments before settlement.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many compensation claims from former miners and their families in Copeland were for chronic lung diseases such as emphysema and pneumoconiosis.

Malcolm Wicks: The number of compensation claims received from former miners and their families in Copeland for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease is 2,490.
	Some claims that are awarded compensation may include payment for Pneumoconiosis and this depends on certain criteria being met. However, claims made just for Pneumoconiosis do not fall within the British Coal Respiratory Disease Litigation, and are dealt with by Common Law.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps he plans to take to reduce the  (a) length and  (b) cost of the legal process for miners claiming compensation for knee problems developed in the mines; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Department is fully committed to ensuring the legal process for potential compensation claims progresses quickly and will be complying with directions provided by Leeds county court on 30 April 2007. The Department will seek to ensure that unnecessary costs are not incurred so far as is it able to do so.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what factors he considered when deciding not to meet the National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers recently to discuss a compensation scheme for miners with knee problems caused by their work in mines; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: I received a request from the National Association of Colliery Overmen, Deputies and Shotfirers for a meeting in February 2006, when a group litigation order had only just been applied for. No evidence of liability had been produced and therefore a meeting at that point would have been premature.

Industrial Diseases: Compensation

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consideration he has given to providing a scheme for miners with knee problems caused by their work in mines; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government are unable to establish a compensation scheme for knee injuries without liability for those injuries being established against it. To date, such liability has not been established.

ITV: British Sky Broadcasting

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations he has received from ITN and Channel 4 News on the proposed acquisition of 17.9 per cent. of ITV by BSkyB.

Ian McCartney: No representations have been received from ITN or Channel 4 News about this matter. However, both ITV, which has a 40 per cent. shareholding in ITN, and Channel 4 have submitted representations to Ofcom in the context of its initial investigation into whether this transaction raises public interest issues and to the Office of Fair Trading in the context of its initial investigation into whether this transaction raises competition issues. Those submissions are summarised in the reports the Secretary of State received from the Office of Fair Trading and Ofcom on 27 April 2007. Previously, both ITV and Channel 4 had submitted views to the Office of Fair Trading about the transaction and these submissions were forwarded to the DTI to assist the Secretary of State in reaching a decision on whether to issue an intervention notice. Separately, at DTI's invitation, ITV had submitted views direct to the DTI on the question of whether to issue an intervention notice.

ITV: British Sky Broadcasting

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has received the OFT report into the proposed acquisition of 17.9 per cent. of ITV by BSkyB; and what the timetable is for the publication of the report's findings.

Ian McCartney: The Office of Fair Trading's report on this transaction was received on 27 April 2007. The report will be published no later than when a decision is announced on whether the Secretary of State will refer the transaction to the Competition Commission for a full investigation. The statutory deadline for taking this decision is 26 May although there is scope to extend the deadline in certain circumstances.

ITV: British Sky Broadcasting

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether he has received the Ofcom report into the proposed acquisition of 17.9 per cent. of ITV by BSkyB; and what the timetable is for the publication of the report's findings.

Ian McCartney: Ofcom's report on this transaction was received on 27 April 2007. The report will be published no later than when a decision is announced on whether the Secretary of State will refer the transaction to the Competition Commission for a full investigation. The statutory deadline for taking this decision is 26 May although there is scope to extend the deadline in certain circumstances.

Low Carbon Buildings Programme

David Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Mid-Worcestershire (Peter Luff) of 24 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1072W, on the low carbon buildings programme, how many of the 4,550 households allocated grants under the programme have been checked to ensure they comply with the terms of the scheme.

Malcolm Wicks: Under the terms of the Low Carbon Buildings Programme, the programme manager carries out inspections on a percentage of commissioned installations. The first 50 of these inspections is due to take place in Quarter three of this year. Installation inspections will also be carried out as part of the certification scheme that supports the programme.

Mining: Compensation

Jamie Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will establish an inquiry into the operation of the Miners' Compensation Scheme.

Malcolm Wicks: No. An independent review of the schemes was conducted in 2005. The report is available at the DTI website:
	http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/coal-health/publications/external-review/page16634.html
	The National Audit Office is also carrying out a value for money review of the Department's administration of the Coal Health Compensation Schemes. The report is anticipated during the summer.

North Sea Oil

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much revenue was generated by the UK's North Sea oil and gas fields in each year since 1997.

Malcolm Wicks: Total revenue from UK Continental Shelf oil and gas production in each year since 1997 is given in the following table:
	
		
			   Income (£ billion) 
			 1997 17.6 
			 1998 14.8 
			 1999 17.5 
			 2000 25.5 
			 2001 24.2 
			 2002 24.1 
			 2003 23.6 
			 2004 23.4 
			 2005 28.7 
			  Source:  http://www.og.dti.gov.uk/information/bb_updates/appendices/UKCS _I_and_E_Annual.pdf: data for 2006 are still being compiled.

Nuclear Fuels: Storage

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions he has had with ministerial colleagues on the International Atomic Energy Agency proposal for an international nuclear fuel bank; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 8 May 2007
	The International Atomic Energy Agency has not proposed the creation of an international nuclear fuel bank. It has, however, asked Governments and interested organisations to share ideas about how the risks of the proliferation of sensitive nuclear technologies through the international development of nuclear energy could be prevented. The UK "Enrichment Bond", which has been placed in the Library of the House, is currently being considered by the IAEA, with a number of other proposals. The IAEA is due to bring out a paper in June, taking into account the various suggestions already made, which Ministers will have an opportunity to see.

OM Energy

John Hemming: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 27 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1361W, on OM Energy, what his definition is of academic validation of the technology; and who validated the technology.

Ian McCartney: By academic validation, I mean that appropriately qualified experts have judged that the technology works. The experts were Dr. Juan Matthews PhD, FInstP (DTI International Technology Promoter), Dr. Fulcieri Maltini, former World Bank scientist and fuel cell expert who conducted the on-site inspection, and Professor Derek Fray, B.Sc.(Eng.), Ph.D., D.I.C., M.A., A.R.S.M., C.Eng., M.I.M., F.I.M.M., F.Eng., Head of Cambridge University Department of Materials Chemistry, who met the scientists involved.

Overseas Companies: Sudan

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what guidelines his Department provides to British companies active within Sudan.

Ian McCartney: holding answer 1 May 2007
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave her on 8 May 2007,  Official Report, column 117W, to the same question asked of my hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how his Department is implementing the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003; what powers the Information Commissioner has under these regulations; and if he will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations came into force in December 2003. Under the regulations no one may make an unsolicited marketing telephone call to a consumer who has previously notified the caller that they do not wish to receive such calls or who has been registered with the telephone preference scheme for at least 28 days.
	The Information Commissioner has responsibility for enforcement of the regulations by the following mechanisms:
	Informal resolution;
	Preliminary Enforcement Notice;
	Enforcement Notice and;
	Prosecution for a Breach of Notice.
	The powers of the Information Commissioner in the Regulations are drawn from the Data Protection Act 1998 which is the responsibility of the Ministry of Justice.
	The Enterprise Act 2002 was updated by the Enterprise Act 2002 (Part 8 Community Infringements Specified UK Laws) (Amendment) Order 2005, which designated enforcement powers to the Information Commissioner to enable him to apply to the courts to stop traders infringing a range of domestic consumer protection legislation where the infringements harm the collective interests of consumers, including these regulations.
	In December 2006 the Information Commissioner's Office served Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations enforcement notices on six organisations. A further seven cases, under the Enterprise Act, are currently under investigation, but are not yet complete. All these cases relate to unsolicited marketing telephone calls made to consumers.

Research: Breast Cancer

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much his Department spent on research into the causes of breast cancer through the Research Councils in  (a) 2004-05 and  (b) 2005-06.

Malcolm Wicks: Research Councils spend on research relating to breast cancer is listed in the following table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Research Council  2004-05  2005-06 
			 BBSRC 0.48 0.53 
			 MRC 5.3 5.9

Science: Finance

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what financial support his Department gives to  (a) science centres and  (b) other projects which (i) promote engagement in science to the general public and (ii) are involved in adding value to the teaching of those subjects in schools.

Malcolm Wicks: Promoting engagement with science and enhancing the science learning experience in schools are key objectives behind the commitments set out in the Government's science strategy document "The Science and Innovation Investment Framework 2004 to 2014 Next Steps", and are supported by the Department and the Department for Education and Skills (DfES).
	 (a) The Department provided £1 million, as part of a £2 million joint DfES/DTI funding package, to science centres in 2004 to 2006 to help alleviate short term funding problems. Between November 2006 and March 2008, we are providing £500,000 to Ecsite UK, the science centre umbrella body, to fund a £750,000 project to help science centres become financially viable. Specifically, this project aims to enable the science centres to:
	demonstrate the impact and the added-value they deliver;
	work more effectively together, and collaboratively with museums, SETNET, Science Learning Centres and Science Cities; and,
	maximise their future financial viability.
	In addition, £33,000 was provided to Ecsite UK in 2006-07.
	 (b) OSI works closely with DfES to promote the teaching of science in schools, and drive forward the recommendations set out in the 2006 STEM programme report. OSI has also continued to fund a number of related projects and activities to develop effective public engagement in science and technology through a number of key mechanisms:
	 Promoting public engagement in science
	Over £1.5 million has already been committed to the Sciencewise programme. More than 10 projects on a range of critical science challenges, including brain science, stem cells research, and nanotechnology have been supported. Sciencehorizons is the first ever mass public engagement programme designed to get the nation talking about how science and technology could affect our lives in the next 15 to 20 years. OSI is also undertaking work to develop an Expert Resource Centre for Public Dialogue on Science and Innovation (ERC), for launch in April 2008.
	£280,000 in 2006-07 was given to the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA) for organisation of National Science and Engineering Week (held in March this year). A grant of £100,000 enabled over 300 'hard-to-reach' schools to participate, many for the first time. £200,000 was also provided for the 2006 BA Festival of Science.
	We are also actively encouraging other organisations to develop and fund their own activities in this area, and we particularly welcome the recent announcement of the four-year Beacons for Public Engagement pilot programme, funded by Research Councils UK, the higher education funding councils and the Wellcome Trust. The national academies (British Academy, The Royal Academy of Engineering and Royal Society) receive part of their funding as grant-in-aid from my Department. They too play a role in enhancing public engagement with science, technology and engineering issues, and have an interest in improving the teaching of these subjects in schools.
	 Adding Value to Science Teaching
	As part of a £6.7 million programme funded by DTI, the Science, Engineering, Technology and Maths Network (SETNET) runs the science engineering ambassadors (SEAs) scheme, in which young scientists act as role models for school students. There are now more than 13,000 ambassadors representing a variety of industries stimulating scientific interest among school children which aims to have 18,000 SEAs in place by March 2008.
	Funding for the BA also goes to support their CREST award scheme, which offers young people the opportunity to take part directly in scientific research and engineering projects. In 2006-07 this funding amounted to £220,000.

Science: Newcastle upon Tyne

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what funding and support the Government have provided to Newcastle-upon-Tyne as a science city.

Margaret Hodge: The Government, through the Regional Development Agency One NorthEast, have to date contributed £10,733,333 in respect of the Newcastle science city site. This is inclusive of acquisition, stamp duty, fees and demolition.
	One NorthEast has also contributed £2,427,000 to the programme management for Newcastle science city.

Weights and Measures: EC Law

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent discussions he has had with the European Commission on the permissibility of supplementary indications relating to weights and measures.

Malcolm Wicks: The Government have consistently supported the continued availability of supplementary indications. In March this year, in responding to the European Commission's consultation on possible updating of the Units of Measurement Directive, the Government proposed that the current permission should now be extended without a further time limit.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan: Drugs

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development when he last visited Afghanistan to review progress in the eradication of poppy fields.

Hilary Benn: I last visited Afghanistan in June 2006 to review progress on the DFID programme in Afghanistan. During this visit I took time to visit Helmand, the remote province in southern Afghanistan that produces much of Afghanistan's opium.
	Ministers continue to receive regular updates on the progress of Her Majesty's Government's operation in Afghanistan from officials based in Kabul and Helmand. Just two weeks ago, DFID's permanent secretary participated in a joint visit with the permanent secretaries of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Ministry of Defence, where they reviewed progress on a range of issues, including the UK's contribution to the counter-narcotics effort in Afghanistan.
	The UK has committed £270 million from 2006-09 in support of the Government of Afghanistan's national drug control strategy, which represents the best means of tackling the problem. The policy of the Afghanistan Government is to target eradication in areas where alternative livelihoods already exist. This is an approach which we strongly support.

Departments: Consultants

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what his Department's spending was on research and consultancy services in 2006-07, broken down by programme.

Gareth Thomas: In total, DFID spent £179 million on bilateral knowledge and research programmes in 2005-06. This represented 4.1 per cent. of total DFID expenditure. A summary breakdown was published in Statistics on International Development 2001/02-2005/06 and the figures are reproduced in the following table.
	
		
			  DFID Programme: Bilateral Technical Co-operation: Knowledge and Research, 2005-06 
			  Sector  £000 
			 Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries 27,143 
			 Engineering 35,730 
			 Health 44,915 
			 Economic and Social 48,959 
			 Education 7,638 
			 Other 15,043 
			 Total Knowledge and Research 179,428 
		
	
	In total, DFID spent £252 million on consultancy in 2005-06. This represented 5.7 per cent. of total DFID expenditure. A summary breakdown is shown in the following table. The majority is consultancy to deliver parts of our development programme (as published in Statistics for International Development), where the services are usually provided to third parties such as recipient governments. These are funded through programme costs. The rest is consultancy to DFID as an organisation and is funded from its administrative budget. The table excludes low value contracts issued by DFID Departments and overseas offices of which there are no consolidated records held centrally.
	
		
			  DFID consultancy spend, 2005-06 
			   £000 
			 Total consultancy funded through development programmes 225,248 
			  Of which:  
			 Africa Division 98,336 
			 Asia and Pacific Division 56,830 
			 Europe, Middle East and Americas Division 54,524 
			 Policy Division 15,556 
			 Consultancy for services to DFID 26,426 
			 Total consultancy 251,673

Departments: Energy

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what  (a) instructions are issued to staff in his Department and  (b) technical procedures are in place to shut down computers at night.

Gareth Thomas: As part of DFID's commitment to the sustainable operations on the Government Estate targets, all staff are encouraged to switch off IT equipment through regular intranet notices, poster campaigns and stickers on the equipment. Security staff also complete regular energy checks to ensure no IT equipment has been left on. DFID only buys computers and monitors which conform to the Quick Wins product standards for energy efficiency. DFID does not use software tools to shut down equipment automatically.

Departments: ICT

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the  (a) originally estimated,  (b) most recently estimated and  (c) outturn cost was of the five largest information technology contracts agreed by his Department with outside suppliers over the last five years.

Gareth Thomas: DFID has let four major IT contracts in the last five years.
	The human resource (HR) system had a projected supplier cost at tender of £1.18 million. The total supplier cost at outturn was £1.22 million.
	The HR system project was superseded by an HR transformation project which aims to radically change the way HR services are delivered and improve people management. The HR transformation project had an original budget of £6.5 million. It is primarily a business change project but it includes enhancements to the existing HR system and a number of smaller IT enabled components. The most recent cost estimate is £5.9 million, but options may be taken up in the future at additional cost.
	The Quest Electronic Document and Record Management system had a projected supplier base cost at tender of £8.98 million. The current projected total supplier cost is £11.68 million. This includes a number of additional cost options available under the original contract.
	The Aries Finance, Procurement and Reporting System, had a projected base supplier cost at tender of £11 million. The most recent estimate of £13.5 million reflects an agreed change to the scope of the project. It also includes additional consultancy support for change management and development of end-user training materials. Further options including assistance with training and roll out may be taken up in the future.
	DFID has also let a number of small IT related contracts. However, our central records do not distinguish IT contracts, so provision of details for these contracts would incur disproportionate costs.

Developing Countries: Death

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the proportion of mortality in developing countries caused by  (a) malaria,  (b) tuberculosis,  (c) road accidents and  (d) HIV/AIDS in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Gareth Thomas: The most recent estimates of the proportion of mortality in developing countries by cause are provided by the Disease Control Priorities Project (DCPP) 2006 publication "Global Burden of Disease and Risk Factors", and the March 2006 World Health Organisation (WHO) Bulletin. These publications also explain the difficulties involved in measuring and estimating causes of mortality, for example for countries where up-to-date data and information may be lacking. Such estimates can therefore not be accurately provided on a year-on-year basis.
	The DCPP publication reports that in 2001, the latest year for which estimates are provided, HIV/AIDS, TB, malaria and road traffic accidents accounted for 5.3 per cent., 3.3 per cent., 2.5 per cent. and 2.2 per cent. respectively, of all deaths in low and middle income countries. As these countries develop, the proportion of mortality attributable to non-communicable disease causes—including road traffic accidents—is expected to rise.

North Korea

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what activities his Department undertakes in North Korea.

Gareth Thomas: DFID does not have, and has never had, a bilateral programme in North Korea. We contribute as normal to the current EU programme of humanitarian assistance. Since 1995, around €118 million has been allocated to assist the most vulnerable people. Humanitarian assistance was provided to cover the immediate needs of flood-affected populations, to address food/nutritional problems, improve access to water as well as health care.

Overseas Aid

Lynne Featherstone: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what proportion of his Department's total spending on technical assistance for all-country programmes was paid in consultancy fees to individuals, firms or companies based outside the recipient country in the last period for which figures are available.

Gareth Thomas: Information on the proportion of DFID expenditure on technical assistance for country programmes which was paid in consultancy fees to individuals, firms or companies based outside the recipient country is not available directly from central systems. Collation of this information would incur disproportionate cost.

Tamils

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent representations he has received from Tamil community groups in the UK.

Gareth Thomas: In my capacity as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for International Development I met with my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon (Mr. Dismore) and 20 representatives from the Tamil community in July 2006. Issues discussed included Tsunami relief, the peace process and DFID's programme of assistance.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Compensation: Applications

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many compensation applications were  (a) rejected and  (b) accepted by the Compensation Agency in each of the last six years; and how much was paid out by the Agency in compensation over the same period broken down by type.

Maria Eagle: This is the operational responsibility of the Compensation Agency. The chief executive has advised me of the following:
	
		
			  Criminal Damage (Compensation) (Northern Ireland) Order 1977 
			   Accepted  Rejected  Amount (£) 
			 2001-02 860 1,228 21,531,204 
			 2002-03 854 984 10,542,281 
			 2003-04 638 916 7,869,361 
			 2004-05 417 654 6,172,714 
			 2005-06 402 572 5,267,180 
			 2006-07 631 667 5,709,917 
		
	
	
		
			  Criminal Injuries (Compensation) (Northern Ireland) Order 1988 
			   Accepted  Rejected  Amount (£) 
			 2001-02 7,687 4,877 43,275,687 
			 2002-03 7,527 4,624 43,888,946 
			 2003-04 6,195 4,687 39,901,101 
			 2004-05 3,034 1,811 28,824,198 
			 2005-06 1,640 935 19,481,233 
			 2006-07 753 415 11,950,313 
		
	
	
		
			  Criminal Injuries (Compensation) (Northern Ireland) Order 2002 
			   Accepted  Rejected  Amount (£) 
			 2001-02 — — — 
			 2002-03 4 439 75,000 
			 2003-04 782 4,361 2,967,518 
			 2004-05 2,177 7,623 7,879,701 
			 2005-06 3,218 8,057 14,247,747 
			 2006-07 2,497 5,623 13,788,603 
		
	
	
		
			  Terrorism Act 2000 
			   Accepted  Rejected  Amount (£) 
			 2001-02 3,303 334 1,892,009 
			 2002-03 7,371 543 2,400,603 
			 2003-04 3,675 1,332 1,055,052 
			 2004-05 381 600 227,264 
			 2005-06 125 103 125,387

Departments: Energy

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what  (a) instructions are issued to staff in his Department and  (b) technical procedures are in place to shut down computers at night.

Paul Goggins: Northern Ireland Office staff are requested to minimise energy waste by turning of their computers and monitors at the end of each working day. There are no technical procedures in place to shut down computers at night.

Departments: ICT

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the  (a) originally estimated,  (b) most recently estimated and  (c) outturn cost was of the five largest information technology contracts agreed by his Department with outside suppliers over the last five years.

Paul Goggins: The following tables cover the NIO Core Department, agencies, the legal offices (Public Prosecution Service and Crown Solicitors Office) and the Bloody Sunday Inquiry (BSI). It does not cover the Northern Ireland Departments, the police or other independent bodies.
	
		
			  £ million 
			  Project  Purpose  Originally estimated  (£ ex. VAT)  Most recently estimated (£ ex. VAT)  Outturn cost 
			 Prism To provide a prisoner record system for the Northern Ireland Prison Service 6.15 8.111 (1)3.5 
			 Causeway (PPP project to 2013) A joint enterprise by criminal justice organisations in Northern Ireland to share information electronically 45 (2)59 (1)27 
			 Flax Replace NIO IT infrastructure, provide internet and intranet and meet electronic document and records management targets 8.5 8.5 (3)8.5 
			 Wide area network Managed Service contract to provide ICT connections to all NIO sites 2 2.2 (1)1 
			 (1) ongoing (2 ) Causeway—The increased estimated costs in relation to the Causeway Programme resulted primarily from delays in implementation due to resourcing difficulties within the Criminal Justice Organisations and the additional complexity of amending these systems. A revised Programme Plan and updated Business case was approved by the NIO in January 2007 to reflect the impact of maintaining programme support, development and implementation resources for a longer period than anticipated. (3) complete 
		
	
	
		
			  Bloody Sunday Inquiry 
			   Project  Purpose  Total outturn cost (£) 
			 2002 Bloody Sunday Inquiry—Londonderry and London Implementation of IT systems to support the work of the inquiry 7.1 million 
			 2003 Bloody Sunday Inquiry—Londonderry and London Implementation of IT systems to support the work of the inquiry 5 million 
			 2004 Bloody Sunday Inquiry—Londonderry and London Implementation of IT systems to support the work of the inquiry 2.6 million 
			 2005 Bloody Sunday Inquiry—Londonderry and London Implementation of IT systems to support the work of the inquiry 3.7 million 
			 2006 Bloody Sunday Inquiry—Londonderry and London Implementation of IT systems to support the work of the inquiry 836,000

Departments: Trade Unions

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many meetings  (a) he and  (b) his Department's Ministers held with trade union representatives in 2006.

Peter Hain: Ministers and civil servants meet many people, including union representatives as part of the process of policy development and advice. To provide specific details of such meetings would require a manual trawl of ministerial diaries and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Drugs

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many Police Service of Northern Ireland officers were assigned to the force's Drug Squad in each of the last three years, broken down by grade; and what financial resources were allocated to tackling illegal drugs in Northern Ireland over the same period.

Paul Goggins: The operational deployment of officers is a matter for the Chief Constable. To provide information on the number of officers deployed could have adverse security or operational implications.
	In addition to general police resources, the financial resources allocated to tackling illegal drugs in each of the last three years is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  Budget (£ million) 
			 2004-05 2.3 
			 2005-06 2.3 
			 2006-07 2.3

Drugs: Prisons

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were caught smuggling drugs into each prison establishment in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years; and what penalty was imposed in each case in which all legal proceedings are complete.

Paul Goggins: In 2004, there were 46 occasions when people were caught smuggling drugs into a prison establishment. 25 resulted in the visitor being banned for a period from visiting the establishment and 21 resulted in the imposition of 'closed' visits conditions. In 2005 there were 24 such occasions. 12 resulted in a ban and 12 in 'closed' visits conditions.
	The figures for 2006 were 27, 15 and 12 respectively.
	All these cases were reported to the PSNI. The Prison Service does not hold full information on the subsequent outcome.

Northern Ireland Executive: Flags

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the Government's policy is on the use of  (a) the Ulster flag,  (b) the Cross of St. Patrick,  (c) the Union flag,  (d) the European Union flag and  (e) the Irish Republic flag on government buildings in Northern Ireland.

Peter Hain: The Flags Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2000 regulates the flying of the Union flag from Government buildings on specified days in Northern Ireland. It also permits the European flag to be flown, in conjunction with the Union Flag, on Europe Day at Government buildings that have more than one flagpole.
	Under the Regulations the flag of the Republic of Ireland could be flown, alongside the Union flag, from a Government building on the occasion of a visit of the Head of State of the Republic of Ireland to that building, provided that the building had more than one flag pole and that the Union flag was flown in prominence.
	The Ulster flag and the Cross of St. Patrick have no official status and under the Flags Regulations are not permitted to be flown from Government Buildings.

Prison Visitors

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much funding was allocated to the Assisted Prison Visits Scheme in each of the last six years; and how many prison visits were funded by this scheme over the same period.

Paul Goggins: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Assisted prison visits scheme 
			  Financial year  Funding allocated (£)  Actual expenditure (£)  Visits (NI)  Visits (GB)  Total visits 
			 2001-02 90,000 44,516.63 674 93 767 
			 2002-03 90,000 57,746.10 681 180 861 
			 2003-04 70,000 52,054.78 563 100 663 
			 2004-05 70,000 64,571.99 516 190 706 
			 2005-06 80,000 63,234.49 606 84 690 
			 2006-07 80,000 (1)40,474.00 (2)363 (2)57 420 
			 (1) Estimated. (2) April to December 2006.

Prisons: Education

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of prisoners in each Northern Ireland prison establishment achieved  (a) GCSE,  (b) post-GCSE and  (c) third level qualifications in each of the last six years; and what steps he is taking to increase the number of prisoners achieving such qualifications.

Paul Goggins: Only those prisoners with a sufficiently long sentence and the ability to work at this level will be able to complete second and third level education. This represents a very small proportion of prisoners who enter the prison system on an annual basis. It is likely to exclude those on remand, those committed for fine default and those sentenced for less than one year. Almost 70 per cent. of those sentenced to custody have literacy and numeracy deficits in essential and key skills. Given the link between low attainment and criminal behaviour, the priority for the Prison Service is to address first-level educational and vocational needs. The second and third level awards attained within the past six years are as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			  Maghaberry  
			  (a) and  (b) GCSE and post GCSE awards and equivalents 50 
			  (c) Third level qualifications 2001-06:  
			 OU Unit Awards completed 69 
			 Degrees/Masters completed 7 
			   
			  Hydebank  
			  (a) and  (b) GCSE and post GCSE awards and equivalents 16 
			  (c) Third level qualifications 2001-06:  
			 OU Unit Awards completed 2 
			 Degrees/Masters completed 0 
			   
			  Magilligan  
			  (a) and  (b) GCSE and post GCSE awards and equivalents: 215 
			  (c) Third level qualifications 2001-06:  
			 OU Unit Awards completed 27 
			 Degrees/Masters completed 0

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan: Drugs

Mark Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many drug-related seizures have been made by British forces in Afghanistan; and what weight of narcotics has been seized, broken down by type.

Adam Ingram: I have been asked to reply.
	The Afghan authorities have the lead for counter-narcotic activity, but under the terms of the current NATO Operational Plan (OPLAN), ISAF forces may support them, including through support to interdiction operations. Over the 12 months to March 2007, Afghan forces interdicted 72 tonnes of opium.
	Under the OPLAN, ISAF forces hand over any drugs, associated equipment, and traffickers to the Afghan authorities at the earliest possible opportunity. In the absence of any ISAF requirement to record details of narcotic seizures, UK forces have to date not retained a central record of drug seizures, and any attempt to provide one would come at disproportionate cost.

Afghanistan: Drugs

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what Government policy is on opium crop eradication activities in Afghanistan in areas where alternative livelihoods projects  (a) are and  (b) are not in place; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The UK supports the Afghan Government's policy on opium poppy eradication as set out in its National Drug Control Strategy (NDCS). The NDCS states that eradication should be Afghan-led and targeted where there is access to legal rural livelihoods. To ensure that eradication is targeted properly, the UK has helped the Afghan authorities to map those areas where people have access to legal rural livelihoods. These target areas are determined by a set of criteria that take into account a wide range of factors. In addition to rural livelihoods projects, the criteria include: distance to markets, water availability, agricultural diversity, population density, extension of government, access to non-farm income and credit. Non-targeted eradication is less likely to achieve the NDCS's objective of achieving a sustainable reduction in cultivation.

Africa: EC External Relations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on plans to hold an African Union-EU Summit in 2007.

Margaret Beckett: The second EU-Africa Summit is scheduled to take place in Lisbon in December. The UK wants a successful summit that will inject new momentum into the EU-Africa relationship. The summit must have a high level of ambition and strong African buy-in.
	The summit presents an opportunity for constructive discussions on development, governance, conflict and climate security.
	Early preparation of the summit is vital. Work is underway on a new joint EU-Africa strategy to be adopted at the summit and reasonable progress is being made towards a framework of commitments. The EU will continue to deliver on the commitments from the EU's 2005 strategy on Africa as agreed at the December 2006 European Council. Member states and the Commission are due to report on progress at the end of 2007.

Bangladesh: Political Prisoners

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make a statement on recent events in Bangladesh, with particular reference to  (a) the suspension of political activity and  (b) decisions to exile and arrest major party leaders.

Kim Howells: As my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made clear in a statement following her meeting on 19 April with the Bangladesh Foreign Adviser, Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury,
	"we want the Caretaker Government to succeed and to set Bangladesh on a course that will see it fulfil its considerable potential".
	The full text of my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary's statement is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at:
	http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&cid=Page&cid=1007029391629&a=KArticle&aid=1176967923214%20&year=2007&month=2007-04-01&date=2007-04-19.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised the position of Sheikh Hasina with Dr. Iftekhar Chowdhury on 19 April. The Caretaker Government has since lifted the restrictions on Sheikh Hasina's return to Bangladesh. We understand that the Caretaker Government is also currently considering lifting the ban on indoor political activity in the country.

Council of Europe: Finance

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much was allocated to the Council of Europe in financial year 2005-06.

Geoff Hoon: The Council of Europe financial year runs from January to December. In 2006 the total budget of the Council of Europe was €262,659,600.00, of which the United Kingdom contributed €30,069,679.76. In 2005 the total budget of the Council of Europe was €270,797,597, of which the United Kingdom contributed €29,202,709.88.

European Constitution Treaty

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is the Government's position that the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe would have altered the fundamental relationship between the European Union and the member states; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: All EU treaties affect the relationship between member states and the EU. The Government's position is that, in view of the results of the French and Dutch referendums, the best way forward now is the traditional approach of an amending treaty rather than the constitutional treaty.

Iran: Assets

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate has been made of the value of Iranian funds  (a) identified and  (b) frozen in accordance with the provisions of UN Security Council Resolutions 1737 and 1747; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: We have not made an estimate of the value of Iranian funds identified and frozen worldwide in accordance with the provisions of UN Security Council Resolutions 1737 (2006) and 1747 (2007). Bank Sepah and Bank Sepah International are the only Iranian entities designated by the UN to have so far been identified as holding assets in the UK. These assets were frozen on 24 March under the provisions of the Iran (Financial Sanctions) Order 2007. We are currently evaluating the frozen assets held in the UK. However, release of detailed information is subject to banking confidentiality and disclosure arrangements.

Iran: Oil

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether her Department has given advice to UK energy companies on investment in Iranian oil and gas projects; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: Foreign and Commonwealth Office and UK Trade and Investment officials here and in Tehran regularly brief representatives of UK energy companies, both on developments in the Iranian oil and gas industries and on the broader political context.

Iraq: Peace Keeping Operations

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate has been made of the number of Iraqi individuals at immediate risk because of their association with the British Army deployed to Southern Iraq; what assessment has been made of the protection these individuals may need once the British troops have been withdrawn; and if she will make a statement.

Des Browne: I have been asked to reply.
	It is not possible to quantify the number of Iraqis who might be at risk by association with the British Army as the risk is not exclusive to those who may have been employed by the British Government in support of the forces. Any applications for assistance made by Iraqis after the departure of British forces from Iraq would be treated on a case-by-case basis; on their merits and in light of the circumstances pertaining at that time.

Italy: Diplomatic Service

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2007,  Official Report, column 37W, on Italy: diplomatic service, how many individuals received copies of the valedictory telegram of Sir Ivor Roberts.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 10 May 2007
	 The telegram was sent to a number of distribution lists in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Number 10, as well as to a range of overseas Posts. It would not be possible, without incurring disproportionate expense, to reconstitute how many individuals on these lists saw the document in September 2006.

Libyan Arab Republic: Weapons

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support has been given to Libya in relation to its decommissioning of weapons of mass destruction as agreed between Libya, the UK and third parties.

Kim Howells: Libya's renunciation of its weapons of mass destruction programmes in December 2003 was a historic decision. The UK has been working closely with Libya and the United States, in particular through the Trilateral Steering and Co-operation Committee, to support Libya through the de-commissioning process.
	This has included helping Libya to dismantle its nuclear weapons programme, allowing other international partners to convert its heavy-water nuclear reactor at Tajura into a light-water reactor. This in turn has helped Libya to meet the international standards required for its nuclear reactor to be placed under an Additional Protocol Safeguards Agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency.
	A comprehensive programme of redirection and engagement with Libya's scientific community into more conventional areas is under way. This includes helping Libya to establish a regional nuclear medical centre, which would enable the production of nuclear isotopes for radiological medicine, and assistance and engagement with Libya's life-sciences community, particularly in the fields of human and animal infectious diseases, such as AIDS and Avian Influenza. Libya has also acceded to the Chemical Weapons Convention and will, under the verification regime of that convention, destroy its chemical weapons stockpile by the end of 2010.
	The UK is also pursuing wider scientific co-operation with Libya, and signed with Libya a Memorandum of Understanding on Science Co-operation on 27 March.

Marios Matsakis MEP

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on the arrest and detention of Marios Matsakis MEP in Akrotiri Sovereign base area, Cyprus; and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: Having already failed to attend the Sovereign base area court following two previous summonses relating to alleged acts of criminal damage on property belonging to the Ministry of Defence in the Sovereign base areas, warrants were issued for the arrest of Dr. Matsakis. He was therefore arrested at the direction of the Court on 12 April, while making a visit to the Sovereign base areas. Although he was offered the opportunity of making a modest bail payment pending court appearance, Dr. Matsakis refused and declined an offer by a colleague to pay on his behalf. He was therefore remanded in police custody. Following concern for his health Dr. Matsakis was transferred to medical facilities in the Republic of Cyprus. This resulted in his leaving the jurisdiction of the Sovereign base areas and therefore his release from custody.

Measures for Civil Society Programme

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the UK is taking under the Measures for Civil Society programme (EU budget code 15 49 04 12); and if she will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: No payment or commitment appropriations were entered under budget line 15 49 04 12 for the 2007 European Community Budget. We are not aware of any plans for the UK to take steps under this programme.

Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 23 April 2007,  Official Report, column 919W to the hon. Member for Edinburgh, North and Leith (Mark Lazarowicz), on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which states have blocked progress on the Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty.

Kim Howells: No member state at the Conference on Disarmament (CD) objects in principle to a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty (FMCT). However, some nations have been unwilling to begin negotiations on such a treaty without further progress on their own priorities, even where these are issues that do not command consensus at the CD. In particular, China has previously stated that they are not willing to begin negotiations on an FMCT until their concerns over the prevention of an arms race in space are sufficiently addressed. In March this year the current six presidencies of the CD tabled a proposal designed to address the concerns of all member states and allow negotiations on an FMCT to commence without further delay. The UK continues to support the proposal and will work hard to secure consensus for its adoption when this year's second session of the conference begins on 14 May.

Occupied Territories: Security

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether US Security Co-ordinator General Dayton has produced a plan for security sector transformation within the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the reliable opening of the Kami crossing; and if she will place a copy of the plan in the Library of the House once it is available.

Margaret Beckett: US Security Co-ordinator General Dayton has produced a draft plan for Palestinian Security Sector Transformation. He is currently working with international partners and the Palestinians to develop this further and provide costings. This will provide further training, provision of non-lethal equipment to the presidential guard and details on proposals for the Kami crossing point between Gaza and Israel.
	General Dayton's plan will be a private, sensitive document. We do not plan to place a copy in the Library of the House. However, we will keep the House informed of progress regarding Security Sector Transformation.
	During their meeting on 15 April, Israeli Prime Minister Olmert and Palestinian President Abbas discussed future security plans. Prime Minister Olmert promised to keep the Kami crossing open until 23.00 and that trucks would not be delayed longer than 24 hours at the crossing. The Israel Defence Force also said that they had removed 44 roadblocks in the West Bank and intended to remove a further 17.

Sequestration of Assets

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment has been made of the extent to which the persons, entities and organisations identified in European Council decision 2007/242/EC of 23 April 2007 hold assets in the European Union which will be affected by the Council decision.

Margaret Beckett: The UK has not made an assessment of the extent to which the persons, entities and organisations identified in European Council decision 2007/242/EC of 23 April hold assets in the European Union, and is not aware of any assessments made by third parties. The legal instruments for implementing the assets freeze in the UK are the Iran (Financial Sanctions) Order 2007 and EC Regulation 423/2007. The Bank of England issued a notice to financial institutions on 24 April about the financial sanctions against Iran, following the adoption of EC Regulation 423/2007 and Council Decision 2007/242/EC.

Sequestration of Assets

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK advocated the inclusion of additional persons, entities and organisations to the list of those subject to a freezing of economic resources agreed by the European Council on 23 April 2007; and whether she is satisfied by the action taken by the EU to date.

Margaret Beckett: The proceedings of EU working groups and committees are confidential under EU Rules of Procedure and the European Community Treaty.
	We are satisfied that the EU has implemented robustly the measures imposed under UN Security Council Resolutions 1737 and 1747.
	There will be opportunities to propose further individuals and entities to whom the measures adopted by the EU will apply through EU working group mechanisms at any time.

Sequestration of Assets

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK is advocating that the European Union restrictive measures against Iran adopted under European Council decision 2007/242/EC of 23 April 2007 be strengthened; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: The European Union has implemented robustly the measures imposed under UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) 1737 and 1747. The United Kingdom will not seek further measures before assessing Iran's response to UNSCR 1747.

Serbia: Council of Europe

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will suspend the UK's financial contribution to the Council of Europe pending review of the appropriateness of Serbia taking the Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.

Geoff Hoon: The Government do not believe it would be in the United Kingdom's interest to suspend its financial contribution to the Council of Europe. To do so would be in breach of our obligations under Article 39 of the Statute. Failure to fulfil our financial obligations could result in the suspension of the UK's right of representation on the Committee of Ministers and Parliamentary Assembly. A suspension in contributions would also damage the vital work of the Council of Europe in promoting and protecting human rights, democracy and the rule of law in Europe.
	Serbia still has much work to do to meet its Council of Europe accession commitments, as well as other international obligations, in particular full co-operation with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). However, we hope that their Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers will provide encouragement for Serbia to demonstrate its commitment to Council of Europe core objectives of human rights, democracy and the rule of law as well as other international obligations, in particular full co-operation with the ICTY.

Serbia: Council of Europe

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if she will make representations to the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe objecting to the rotation of the Presidency to Serbia in view of Serbian war criminals still at large.

Geoff Hoon: The United Kingdom is a strong supporter of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and regularly makes clear to countries of the region their obligation to co-operate fully with the Tribunal, as set out in UN Security Council Resolution 1534. In February I delivered this message in Belgrade to the President and Prime Minister of Serbia.
	Serbia's performance as Chair will be scrutinised by both a domestic and international audience. It is in Serbia's interests to fulfil its obligations as Chair to the highest standards. We hope that their Chairmanship will provide encouragement for Serbia to demonstrate its commitment to Council of Europe core objectives of human rights, democracy and the rule of law as well as other international obligations, in particular full co-operation with the ICTY.
	The Parliamentary Assembly and Committee of Ministers will continue to monitor Serbia's commitment to Council of Europe values and treaty obligations. Monitoring will continue throughout their Chairmanship and will include co-operation with the ICTY.

Sheikh Hasina

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations her Department received from the Bangladeshi government on the status of Sheikh Hasina.

Kim Howells: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised the status of Sheikh Hasina with the Foreign Adviser to the Bangladesh caretaker government, Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, on 19 April. The caretaker government has since lifted the restrictions on Sheikh Hasina's return to Bangladesh.

Sheikh Hasina

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions officials in her Department have had with Sheikh Hasina regarding the refusal of her Government to allow her return to Bangladesh.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has had no contact with Sheikh Hasina regarding the earlier decision of the Caretaker Government to prevent her from returning to Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina has not requested any such contact. On 19 April, the Caretaker Government lifted all restrictions on her return to Bangladesh.

Sheikh Hasina

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when her Department was notified that Sheikh Hasina would not be allowed to return to Bangladesh on Sunday 22 April.

Kim Howells: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office learned on 18 April that the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh had instructed foreign civil aviation authorities and airlines that Sheikh Hasina would not be allowed to return to Bangladesh. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised the position of Sheikh Hasina during a call by Dr. Iftekhar Chowdhury, the Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser, on 19 April.

Somalia

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the likelihood of the proposed national reconciliation conference in Somalia taking place; and what support the UK is giving to the process.

Margaret Beckett: We welcomed the announcement by President Yusuf at the African Union summit on 29 January of his intention to convene a National Reconciliation Congress (NRC). However, it is crucial that the current fighting in Mogadishu ends, in order to allow the NRC to convene. With our international partners, we continue to press for an end to the violence, most recently at the International Contact Group on 3 April and at the General Affairs and External Relations Council on 23 April.
	The UK, other international donors and UN agencies are supporting the Somali National Governance and Reconciliation Committee, which is charged with organising the Congress, in developing its plan for this. With our partners, the UK is currently providing technical expertise and advisory assistance.
	We are ready to consider funding for the NRC once a fully costed final plan is finalised, which can achieve lasting peace for Somalia.

Sudan: EC Action

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK is advocating the adoption of EU measures against the Government of Sudan; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Beckett: Following my lobbying, the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council agreed strong conclusions on Sudan on 23 April. In particular, we are building on this support in pushing for further action from the UN Security Council.

Sudan: Religious Freedom

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on the recent attack on Christian missionaries in the Nuba Mountains, Sudan.

Ian McCartney: Bishop Andudu, the head of the Episcopal church in the Diocese of Kadugli and Nuba Mountains, and the Evangelical church in Khartoum told our embassy in Khartoum that four missionaries attached to the Evangelical church in Khartoum had been killed in an ambush of a lorry near Kadugli on 27 or 28 April, with five other people injured. We do not currently know the identity of the assailants, or whether the missionaries were the target or unintended victims of the attack.
	The Government remain strongly committed to the protection of the human rights of all Sudan's citizens. We call on the Sudanese Government to ensure that all religions can be practised without fear of harassment or intimidation. We take seriously any infringement of religious freedom and remain in contact with church leaders. In addition, the Government are a strong supporter of the North/South Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Under this a range of peace building commissions are being established including a national Human Rights Commission and the Commission for the Protection of non-Muslim Rights in the national capital.

Sudan: Sanctions

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of the targeted sanctions against the four individuals designated in UN Security Council Resolution 1591 (2005) on  (a) the activities of those individuals and  (b) the security situation in Darfur.

Margaret Beckett: We assess that sanctions are having an impact on the Government of Sudan as a whole. On 9 April, President Bashir finally agreed to the Heavy Support Package, which is one of the stepping stones leading to the deployment of the full African Union/UN peacekeeping package. But this is only a first step and we have made clear to the Government of Sudan and the rebels that they will be judged on actions, not just words.

Travel Restrictions

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what diplomatic processes are in place to inform senior foreign political figures that their return to their home countries has been prohibited by their Government.

Kim Howells: This is a matter for the state and the individual concerned. The approach of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office will depend on the particular circumstances of each case.

Uganda: Democratic Republic of Congo

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports she has received on Ugandan support for the Mouvement de liberation du Congo; and if she will make a statement.

Ian McCartney: We have not received any credible reports or evidence of current Ugandan support for the Mouvement de Liberation du Congo.
	We have regular high-level discussions with the Government of Uganda and continue to impress upon them the need to play a constructive role in regional political processes and to respect the Democratic Republic of Congo's territorial integrity.

Zimbabwe

William Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 29 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1779W, on Zimbabwe, whether she has received representations from her European counterparts on the proposal to add perpetrators of the violence against opposition figures in Zimbabwe to the list of those subject to an EU visa ban and assets freeze.

Margaret Beckett: I refer the right hon. Member to the reply I gave to him on 10 May 2007,  Official Report, column 403W, which confirms the addition of two further names to EU visa ban and assets freeze list.

Zimbabwe: Travel Restrictions

Richard Benyon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations she has made to the government of Portugal on upholding the travel ban on Robert Mugabe and those closely associated with his regime in the context of the summit between the EU and the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States to be held in Portugal in November.

Kim Howells: The UK wants a successful EU-Africa Summit that signals the EU's commitment to Africa and confirms a genuine partnership between the two continents founded on a respect for good governance and human rights, which is currently lacking in Zimbabwe. We have made our views on Zimbabwean representation at the Summit clear to our EU partners. On 22 March the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, met with the Portuguese Ambassador where the matter of Mugabe attending the summit was raised. We will look to the Presidency for a solution on Zimbabwean attendance that is consistent with the EU Common Position on Zimbabwe.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Care Proceedings

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children were the subject of new care proceedings in  (a) Suffolk,  (b) Bedfordshire,  (c) Cambridgeshire,  (d) Essex,  (e) Hertfordshire and  (f) Norfolk in each year since 1997.

Harriet Harman: I have been asked to reply.
	The following table shows the number of applications (number of children) who were subject to new care proceedings in  (a) Suffolk,  (b) Bedfordshire,  (c) Cambridgeshire,  (d) Essex,  (e) Hertfordshire and  (f) Norfolk in each year from 2003 to 2006.
	
		
			  Number of Public Law Children Act Applications  m ade for a Care Order, 2003-06 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006 
			 Bedfordshire 94 62 103 88 
			 Cambridgeshire 56 12 9 53 
			 Essex 75 633 686 62 
			 Hertfordshire 212 138 162 217 
			 Norfolk 179 176 270 228 
			 Suffolk 90 32 90 148 
			 England and Wales 12,022 10,870 13,399 12,590

Language Service Professionals

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if he will take steps to protect the professional title of language service professionals for deaf people, including  (a) BSL/English interpreters,  (b) lipspeakers,  (c) deaf-blind interpreters and  (d) speech to text reporters;
	(2)  if he will take steps to create a register of all language service professionals for deaf people, including  (a) BSL/English interpreters,  (b) lipspeakers,  (c) deaf-blind interpreters and  (d) speech to text reporters for public bodies;
	(3)  when he will answer Questions  (a) (i) 115951 and (ii) 115952 tabled on 11 January, and  (b) 126821, tabled on 7 March, by the hon. Member for Chesham and Amersham.

Bill Rammell: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) have responsibility for funding providers of post-16 further education and training. This funding includes Additional Learning Support (ALS) which is used by providers to fund the additional learning needs of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including those learners with hearing impairments. Providers determine how their ALS funding is used to ensure that it meets the needs of their learners.
	The Department is not responsible for protecting the professional titles, or providing a register of language service professionals, as it is for providers to determine how best to meet the needs of their learners, and therefore which professionals to use to deliver this support.

Poverty: Durham

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the rate of poverty is amongst children in  (a) County Durham and  (b) the City of Durham; and what it was in 1997.

Jim Murphy: I have been asked to reply.
	The information is not available below the level of Government Office Region.

Pupils: Contraceptives

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which schools in  (a) Essex,  (b) Hertfordshire and  (c) the Metropolitan Police Area of London distribute the morning after pill to pupils (i) with and (ii) without parental knowledge or permission; and which plan to do so in the next 12 months.

Beverley Hughes: The data requested are not collected by this Department. Health professionals are able to supply Emergency Hormonal Contraception (EHC) to under 16s without notifying parents, provided they are satisfied that the young person is competent to understand fully the implications of any treatment. Our position is that EHC should be available to help prevent pregnancy in emergency situations, but not used as a substitute for more reliable forms of contraception.

Secondary Education: Student Numbers

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many secondary schools have  (a) between 1,000 and 1,500 pupils,  (b) between 1,500 and 2,000 pupils and  (c) more than 2,000 pupils in each local authority area.

Jim Knight: The information requested has been placed in the House Library.

DEFENCE

Service Personnel: Health Care

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what provision his Department makes for the healthcare of injured servicemen and women.

Derek Twigg: A key factor in the Government's duty of care towards the members of the armed forces is ensuring they receive high-quality medical care, both while deployed on operations and back in the UK. This can range from life-saving surgery in our deployed field hospitals and NHS facilities in the UK, to treatment of routine ailments on a daily basis. Our mental health services are configured in line with national best practice.

Service Personnel: Health Care

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of medical support for service personnel on their return to the UK from operational theatres; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford (Mr. Evennett).

Iraq

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Iraq.

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Member for Gainsborough (Mr. Leigh).

Iraq

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the security situation in Iraq.

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Members for Gainsborough (Mr. Leigh) and Surrey Heath (Michael Gove).

QinetiQ

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with QinetiQ in relation to public access to  (a) Foulness Island and  (b) Ministry of Defence land operated by QinetiQ.

Derek Twigg: I have had no discussions with QinetiQ in relation to public access either at Foulness Island or at other Ministry of Defence sites operated by QinetiQ.
	However, the Department is keen to maximise public access to its sites where possible, including those operated on its behalf by QinetiQ. Such access must be balanced with the need to ensure security and public safety.

Iran: Seizure of British Equipment

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress he has made in recovering boats and equipment seized by Iran from UK armed forces in  (a) June 2004 and  (b) March 2007.

Des Browne: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave earlier to the hon. Member for New Forest, West (Mr. Swayne).

Helicopters

Linda Gilroy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he is taking to improve the availability of helicopters in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan.

Adam Ingram: We keep the requirement for helicopters in both theatres under constant review.
	Last summer my right hon. Friend the Defence Secretary announced the deployment of an additional two Chinook to Afghanistan and an increase in the available helicopter hours.
	On 30 March, he announced our plans to make an additional 14 helicopters available for deployment by converting eight Chinook Mk3 aircraft and purchasing another six Merlin from Denmark.

Landmines

Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what his assessment is of the effectiveness of initiatives taken by the UK to remove landmines and explosive remnants of war.

Adam Ingram: MOD has three initiatives to remove landmines and explosive remnants of war. These three projects are judged to be highly successful: the first involves 98 explosive ordnance disposal and de-mining personnel for the Kosovo Protection Corps. The second is the Bosnian project, which on completion will have destroyed over 10,000 tons of ammunition. And the third is the International Mine Action and Training Centre in Kenya, which has trained some 3,800 African and international personnel in de-mining and associated skills. Wider initiatives by the UK, funded by DFID at £10 million per year are targeted at the world's poorest nations which have reduced casualties significantly.

Afghanistan

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with NATO counterparts on NATO's commitment to operations in Afghanistan.

Des Browne: I meet frequently to discuss Afghanistan with my NATO counterparts and with Defence Ministers of other countries committed to operations in Afghanistan, such as Sweden and Australia.

Ballistic Missile Defence

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent assessment he has made of the potential role of ballistic missile defence in UK security policy.

Des Browne: We welcome the recent announcement by the US to augment their ballistic missile defence system with interceptors based in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic, thereby also providing coverage for most of Europe, including the UK. We continue to examine the potential options for the role of ballistic missile defence in UK security policy, both with the US and other NATO allies.

Afghanistan: Peace Keeping Operations

Anne Moffat: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent progress has been made on the deployment of new armoured vehicles in Afghanistan.

Des Browne: The first batches of Mastiff and Vector protected patrol vehicles have been delivered to Afghanistan and deliveries will continue over the coming weeks and months.
	I am withholding details of delivery schedules as it would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness and security of our armed forces.

Air Force: Military Bases

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) military and  (b) civilian aircraft (i) took off from and (ii) landed at each operational Royal Air Force flying station in the United Kingdom between 11 pm. and 7 am in the last 12 months for which figures are available on (A) weekdays and (B) weekends; and which stations were involved.

Adam Ingram: These data will take time to collate. Once this work has been completed I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Aircraft Carriers: Procurement

Lee Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to place the order for the new aircraft carriers for the Royal Navy.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for New Forest, East (Dr. Lewis) on 3 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1848W.

Armed Forces: Children

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether there are any cases of families consisting of a married couple with children in which both parents are serving in combat overseas in HM armed forces;
	(2)  whether there are any cases in which all legal guardians of a child are serving in combat overseas in HM armed forces.

Derek Twigg: All three services have policies that aim to minimise the incidence of both service parents of children being deployed on operations concurrently, though the overriding factor is the identified operational requirement. Also, guidance is issued to service personnel to highlight the need for appropriate care arrangements to be in place.
	The armed forces record the details of dependent children (children for whom a service person has parental responsibility). Records are not held of other arrangements made by service personnel for their children or for children of third parties.
	At this time, records show there are fewer than five HM armed forces married (or civil partners) couples with children in which both parents are serving in combat areas overseas. This figure has been rounded up for data protection reasons to avoid the identification of any individuals.

Armed Forces: Compensation

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what compensation was paid under the new Armed Forces Compensation Scheme for injuries and deaths in each month since the new scheme came into force; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The information requested is shown in the following tables:
	
		
			  £ 
			  2005-06  (6 April 2005 to 31 March 2006( 1) )  Amount awarded in lump sums (including bereavement grants)  Amount awarded as a guaranteed income payment (including survivors guaranteed income payments) 
			 April — — 
			 May 3,000.00 — 
			 June 5,000.00 — 
			 July 8,000.00 — 
			 August 25,000.00 12,000.00 
			 September 21,000.00 7,000.00 
			 October 44,000.00 33,000.00 
			 November 98,000.00 — 
			 December 30,000.00 21,000.00 
			 January 48,000.00 — 
			 February 97,000.00 — 
			 March 109,000.00 34,000.00 
		
	
	
		
			  £ 
			  2006-07  (1 April 2006 and 23 November 2006( 1, 2) )  Amount awarded in lump sums (including bereavement grants)  Amount awarded as a guaranteed income payment (including survivors guaranteed income payments) 
			 April 194,000.00 15,000.00 
			 May 166,000.00 28,000.00 
			 June 314,000.00 46,000.00 
			 July 283,000.00 11,000.00 
			 August 586,000.00 40,000.00 
			 September 459,000.00 20,000.00 
			 October 646,000.00 61,000.00 
			 November(3) 393,000.00 — 
			 (1) Data have been rounded to the nearest £1,000.00. (2) Data are not yet fully available for 2006-07. (3) Data are not yet fully available for November 2006.

Armed Forces: Education

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what  (a) facilities and  (b) programmes are available for service personnel to continue education while on deployment in (i) Iraq, (ii) Afghanistan and (iii) the Balkans region;
	(2)  how much was spent on education centres by the  (a) Army,  (b) Royal Navy and  (c) Royal Air Force in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how many education centres were closed in each year since 1997 in the  (a) Army,  (b) Royal Navy and  (c) Royal Air Force; and where each centre was located;
	(4)  how many education centres there are in the  (a) Army,  (b) Royal Navy and  (c) Royal Air Force; and where they are located;
	(5)  what education assistance programmes are available to spouses of serving service personnel.

Derek Twigg: As the information requested requires a lengthy response, I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces: Parachuting

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made on replacing the GQ 1000 parachute with the GQ 5000 following recommendation 7h of the RAF Board of Inquiry's Military Aircraft Accident Summary into the aircraft accident of Tornado F3 ZG751 of 25 August 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The programme to replace the GQ 1000 parachute with the GQ 5000 on both the Tornado GR4 and F3 aircraft is being taken forward by Defence Equipment and Support in conjunction with Industry. The work will be undertaken as part of the Tornado seat scheduled maintenance cycle and the first aircraft are due to be fitted with the GQ 5000 parachute by September this year.

Armed Forces: Pay

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of the strategic review of remuneration.

Des Browne: The Strategic Review of Remuneration is examining the strategic rationale and effectiveness of the whole armed forces financial reward package (including pay, allowances, compensation, specialist pay, and financial retention incentives) to ensure that we can attract and retain sufficient, capable and motivated personnel. The review is expected to produce options for consideration within the Department around the turn of the year.

Armed Forces: Postal Services

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes are planned to free postal services available to service people on operations overseas.

Adam Ingram: There are no changes planned to the postal services available to service personnel on operations overseas.

Army Board: Mass Media

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance is issued to members of the Army Board on dealing with the media.

Derek Twigg: Guidance and support is provided to members of the Army Board as required, just as it is to Ministers and all senior officials who come into contact with the media as part of their official duties.
	As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence announced on 24 April 2007,  Official Report, columns 21-22WS, an independently-led review of media access to service personnel and the support and guidance they receive is currently under way.

Defence Communication and Services Agency

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the likely cost of external assistance to the Defence Communication and Services Agency in each of the next three years; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The estimated cost for future External Assistance within Information Systems and Services (formerly the Defence Communication Services Agency) in the next three years is shown in the following table:
	
		
			  Financial year  Estimated future requirement (£ million) 
			 2007-08 35.706 
			 2008-09 15.800 
			 2009-10 24.173

Departments: ICT

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the  (a) originally estimated,  (b) most recently estimated and  (c) outturn cost was of each of the five largest information technology contracts agreed by his Department with outside suppliers in the last five years referred to in the answer of 6 November 2006,  Official Report, columns 809-10W, on information technology.

Adam Ingram: The information requested (as at 4 May 2007) is shown in the following table:
	
		
			   Contract  Original estimated cost (£ million)  Most recently estimated cost (£ million)  Outturn cost (£ million)  Comments 
			 1 Skynet 5 (Satellite Communication Services) 2,775 3,660 157 Expenditure does not include expenditure from other areas within the Department that call up SATCOM services. 'Most recent cost' reflects revised contract to include a fourth satellite which if not used in event of failure of first three on launch will reduce costs to £3,273 million. £157 million is the 2006-07 figure, which is currently being validated through the end of year reconciliation process. 
			   
			 2 Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) (DII(F)) 3,040 3,056 427 This relates to the Increment 1 and Increment 2a contract. The balance of Increment 2 and Increment 3 have not yet been let. 
			   
			 3 Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) 237 257 162 These estimates comprise all extramural costs for JPA and include the cost of personnel administration services using JPA up to the end of financial year 2008-09. Outturn costs cover extramural expenditure to the end of financial year 2006-07 (subject to end year validation). Cost increase was very largely the consequence of delaying roll out to the Navy and Army while awaiting DII availability, however some improvements resulting from lessons learned during RAF rollout were also added to the programme. 
			   
			 4 Defence Medical Information Capability Programme (DMICP) 98 82 5.1 Outturn costs cover contract costs to date. 
			   
			 5. Joint Asset Management and Engineering Solutions (JAMES) 30 23 16.9 These figures are for the Fleet Management MIS Project (known as JAMES 1). There is a potential requirement estimated at £9 million to enhance JAMES1 but as yet the requirement is not funded nor approved—therefore it has not been included. The Whole Fleet Management MIS Project, the second project within the JAMES Programme has completed its Assessment Phase and forms the IS supporting component of the Tri Service Whole Fleet Management Main Gate Business Case which is currently in draft. Once again, as this project is not approved and therefore unfunded, it is not included. 
			  Note: Purely voice communications systems are not considered to fall within the scope of the question.

Departments: ICT

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the details of the Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) design system solution were completed in advance of the decision to contract the ATLAS Consortium to implement the scheme in March 2005; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Following a free, fair and open competition involving a number of bidders, Atlas were selected to provide Defence Information Infrastructure (Future) services on the basis of their overall proposal, which included an overview of their technical design. As with all bidders, the proposal did not include the complete system solution design but contained design detail that was sufficient for bid evaluation and contract award.

Departments: Internet

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department's website cost to run and support in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: The Ministry of Defence corporate Departmental Website, www.mod.uk, incurred the following direct costs in the financial year 2006-07:
	
		
			   £ 
			 Staff 125,000 
			 Hosting and Maintenance 44,500 
			 Hardware 8,375 
			 Total 177,875

Iraq: Peace Keeping Operations

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Territorial Army who served in  (a) Iraq and  (b) Afghanistan were discharged as a result of psychiatric problems in each of the last five years.

Derek Twigg: I will write to the hon. Member once the figures have been collated.

Iraq: Peace Keeping Operations

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many traumatic amputations there have been in the recent 2 Rifles Operation Telic tour.

Des Browne: The number of personnel from 2 Rifles recently deployed in Iraq who have become amputees on active service is not held centrally. To obtain these details would require the examination of the individual medical records of each of the patients who has been classified as very seriously injured (VSI) or seriously injured (SI) for the period of the deployment. These records can only be viewed for non-clinical reasons with the express consent of the individual concerned, to protect patient confidentiality.
	The MOD is committed to publishing statistics on the number of service personnel killed and injured on operations. Casualty and fatality figures for Iraq and Afghanistan are published on the MOD website (http://www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/OperationsFactsheets). Casualty figures are updated fortnightly, in arrears.

Jaguar Aircraft

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons the out-of-service date for the Royal Air Force's Jaguar aircraft was brought forward to 29 April 2007; when this decision was taken; when this decision was communicated to No. 6 Squadron; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Jaguar aircraft were due to be retired from service in October 2007. As part of a regular, routine review of the entire Defence programme the decision was made on 3 April 2007 to bring their retirement forward to 30 April. This measure will not have an operational impact and will allow the earlier release of experienced personnel into the Typhoon Force. The decision was communicated to No. 6 Squadron, the last remaining RAF Jaguar squadron, at a briefing by their Station Commander and Force Commander on 24 April. Many personnel have already been informed of their future appointments and Personnel Management Officers are having discussions with all other personnel that will be affected. The RAF will make every effort to minimise any disturbance experienced by the personnel concerned.

Lynx Helicopters: Procurement

Douglas Carswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the Minister expects the new Lynx helicopter to be available to UK forces in Afghanistan.

Adam Ingram: The Future Lynx helicopter, for which orders were placed in June 2006, is expected to enter service in 2014.

Military Aircraft: Training

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many pilots began fast jet training in each year since 2000; how many have completed such training; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The following table gives details of the number of Royal Air Force and Royal Navy pilots who entered fast jet training, and the number of pilots who successfully completed this training prior to conversion to aircraft type at the Operational Conversion Unit. On average, fast jet pilots will exit training two years after entering.
	This information is only held for the last five financial years.
	
		
			  Financial year  Number  of pilots entering Fast Jet Training  Number of pilots successfully completed Fast Jet Training 
			 2002-03 (1)110 65 
			 2003-04 70 65 
			 2004-05 45 45 
			 2005-06 40 45 
			 2006-07 45 45 
			 (1 )In financial year 2002-03 the figure is artificially inflated due to the fact that there were two courses that started just within the boundaries of this financial year (on 8 April 2002 and 31 March 2003).  Note: All figures have been rounded to the nearest 5.

Navy: Officers

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answers of 13 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 206-07W, on Navy: officers, and 26 March 2007,  Official Report, column 1359W, on Navy: deployment, what the reasons are for the change in the ratio of the number of senior officers of rank commodore and above to the number of ships in service since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: In 1997, the ratio of serving officers of rear-admiral rank and above to ships in-service was 1:2.72 (36 admirals to 98 ships) and currently it is 1:2.27 (33 admirals to 75 ships).
	The ratio of commodores to the number of ships in 2007 is 1:1.29 (58 commodores to 75 ships). As I stated in my answer of 13 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 206-07W, there was no substantive rank of commodore in 1997.
	There is no simple relationship between the number of senior officers serving in the Royal Navy and the number of ships in the Royal Navy. A significant number fill tri-service posts.

Navy: Pay

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many  (a) Royal Navy bonuses and  (b) Royal Naval Reserve bounty payments for the fiscal year 2007-08 were (i) missed and (ii) mispaid by the Joint Personnel Administration.

Derek Twigg: The Service Personnel and Veterans Agency, which is responsible for such payments, is not currently aware of any missed or mispaid commitment bonus payments due to top Royal Naval personnel. Annual bounties for Royal Naval Reserve personnel for service during fiscal year 2006-07 were successfully paid in April 2007 through the Joint Personnel Administration system. While it cannot be predicted in which month annual bounties will be paid for service in fiscal year 2007-08, the majority are normally paid in April of each calendar year following the end of the training year on 31 March.
	Initiation of both the bonus and bounty payments is governed by the timely provision of details of entitlements from units.

Proof of Identity: Ministry of Defence

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2007,  Official Report, column 208W, on proof of identity: Ministry of Defence, how many security passes have been reported lost in each of the last five years.

Derek Twigg: holding answer 9 May 2007
	 Across the MOD central London office buildings (Main Building, Old War Office Building and St. George's Court) the following numbers of passes have been reported as lost or stolen:
	
		
			  Number 
			   Passes lost  Passes stolen 
			 2002 79 18 
			 2003 109 18 
			 2004 103 21 
			 2005 77 13 
			 2006 71 13 
		
	
	Separate figures are not available for individual buildings.

Service Personnel

Mark Harper: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 16 April 2007,  Official Report, column 164W, on service personnel, if he will place in the Library the minutes of all meetings of the Families Working Group held in 2006 and 2007.

Derek Twigg: I have today placed the redacted minutes of the Families Working Group meetings held during 2006 and 2007 in the Library.

Territorial Army: Driving

David Heathcoat-Amory: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his assessment is of the effect of the Drivers' Hours and Rest Time Regulations on Territorial Army manpower and effectiveness.

Adam Ingram: EU Regulation No 561/2006 on working hours for drivers, which came into effect on 11 April 2007, inevitably applies to a limited number of Territorial Army personnel who in their civilian employment are vocational drivers.
	As it does not apply to members of the Territorial Army once they are mobilised, we do not envisage the introduction of this legislation affecting our ability to conduct current operations.
	We are conducting a systematic assessment of the likely impact on the Territorial Army over the medium term, and individual cases over the next few months are likely to help inform our assessment. We are also confident that, with minor adjustments to Territorial Army training patterns, vocational drivers can continue to serve for the foreseeable future. We are also working, along with our colleagues in the Department for Transport, on ways to reduce the impact of this change in the longer term.

Warships

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what lessons the Royal Navy has learned from the weather-related incident on HMS Sovereign last summer in Plymouth Sound, when two members of the ship's company were trapped in the superstructure; what advice has been issued in consequence to other naval users of Plymouth Sound; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: A ship's investigation into the incident was carried out at the time, which concluded that established procedures were not fully followed. The correct procedures are promulgated to all Royal Navy submarines. A Near Miss Report, drawing lessons from the Ship's Investigation, was distributed throughout the RN submarine fleet in March 2007. In addition, Royal Navy submarines not based at Devonport are briefed about the constraints, limitations, hazards and dangers of operating in or around Plymouth Sound and are expected to carry an Admiralty Pilot when entering or leaving this port.
	The Royal Navy is also considering whether there are lessons to be learned from the tragic incident in December 2006 involving the USS Minneapolis St. Paul, in which two men lost their lives, following the recent publication of the US investigation into the incident.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Carers' Allowances: Kent

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with Kent county council on the minimum allowances payable to carers.

Anne McGuire: Carer's allowance is payable at a single rate and is uprated annually. It has been the practice for many years to increase carer's allowance in line with the retail prices index.
	There have been no formal discussions between DWP Ministers and officials from Kent county council on the rate of carer's allowance.

Employment Schemes

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the current training schemes available through Jobcentre Plus.

Jim Murphy: Our employment programmes, especially the New Deals, have helped to significantly reduce unemployment and are internationally renowned as being very successful. This has been achieved through bringing people closer to the labour market which has included the provision of training.
	We regularly undertake assessments of the effectiveness of employment programmes including training schemes. There are evaluations of all new programmes involving independently commissioned projects, internal performance monitoring and thorough reviews for Her Majesty's Treasury spending reviews.
	However, we realise there is more to do and we are currently considering the recent Freud and Leith reviews which recommend ways of further improving training opportunities.

Employment Schemes: Agriculture

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to work in partnership with the National Care Farming Initiative to help people return to employment.

Jim Murphy: We are keen to work in partnership with private and voluntary sector organisations and although we have no current plans to work in partnership with the National Care Farming Initiative, we would welcome their engagement with us.

Employment Schemes: Lone Parents

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what analysis his Department has conducted into the reasons for failure to attend a Work Focused Interview by those lone parents sanctioned in 2005-06.

Jim Murphy: holding answer  9 May 2007
	 : The most recent research on the effect of the sanctioning regime on lone parents is the qualitative research conducted by Joyce and Whiting in April and May 2005: Sanctions: Qualitative summary report on lone parent customers; DWP Working Paper No. 27, Lucy Joyce and Karen Whiting. This report is available in the Library.
	In 2008, we expect to publish outcomes from qualitative research into the effect of benefit sanctions on employment decisions and moves into employment by lone parents and will place this in the Library.

Employment Schemes: Lone Parents

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of lone parents receiving sanctions for failing to attend a Work Focused Interview.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 9 May 2007
	 The purpose of Work Focused Interviews (WFIs) is to ensure that lone parents know about the support that is available to help them move into work. Lone parents who receive income support are told they have to attend WFIs as a condition of receiving their benefit, and to ensure this requirement is understood, we have reviewed the communications we send to lone parents to ensure they are clear and unambiguous.
	Considerable effort is made to reduce the possibility of lone parents receiving benefit sanctions.
	We telephone them to remind them of their appointment and re-arrange the WFI if necessary.
	If a lone parent fails to attend their WFI on the first occasion, we telephone or write to them and if they make contact within five working days no sanction is imposed.
	If no contact is made within five working days and the lone parent is considered to be in a vulnerable group, a home visit will be arranged. If contact is made, the interview will be rearranged, deferred or waived as appropriate.
	Where contact is not made, a letter will be left at the lone parent's home address giving them a further five days to contact Jobcentre Plus.
	If the lone parent fails to attend again, we write to them asking them to demonstrate good cause for their failure to attend their WFI. If contact is made by the lone parent and good cause demonstrated, the appointment will again be re-arranged, deferred or waived as appropriate, and no sanction imposed.
	If no contact is made by the lone parent but they subsequently attend a Jobcentre Plus office prior to the sanction being imposed, an attempt will be made to hold the interview immediately to prevent the sanction being imposed.

Employment Schemes: Lone Parents

Terry Rooney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what analysis his Department has conducted of the impact on attainment of the Government's child poverty target of the number of lone parents sanctions for failing to attend a Work Focused Interview in 2005-06.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 9 May 2007
	 The information requested is not available.

Employment: Discrimination

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what measures his Department is taking to combat discrimination against black and Asian women in the workplace; and if he will make a statement.

Meg Munn: I have been asked to reply.
	The Government want everyone to achieve their potential at work, and recognise that women from black and minority ethnic (BME) groups may face additional barriers to doing so, because of a combination of factors related to gender, ethnicity and in some cases, religious belief. While black and Asian women are increasingly well qualified, and there are many successful women from these communities, there is compelling evidence that many black and minority ethnic women do find it harder to get into employment, to progress at work, and to be paid fairly.
	Measures introduced by the Government to support parents and carers in the workplace and to eliminate discrimination benefit women from all backgrounds equally. These include improved maternity rights, better access to child care, and the right for parents of young or disabled children and carers of adults to request flexible working. In addition, the Government remain committed to ensuring that the legislation prohibiting discrimination in employment on the grounds of sex, race and religion or belief is properly enforced, and believes that the establishment of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights will assist in addressing instances of multiple discrimination.
	Further, black and Asian women will benefit from progress on steps taking place across Government to address the gender pay gap and its underlying causes. These are set out in "Towards a Fairer Future, Implementing the Women and Work Commission" recommendations, published in April this year. More details can be found in that report of a number of initiatives specifically designed to benefit women from minority ethnic communities in finding and progressing in employment, including the Cities Strategy; Partners' Outreach; Work Search Premium; the Deprived Areas Fund; work with employers on recruitment and progression arising from a report by the National Employment Panel's Business Commission; employer-led Fair Cities pilots in Birmingham, Leeds/Bradford and Brent, London; and a range of regional activities. The Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force is taking a pro-active strategic approach to addressing the particular challenges faced by minority ethnic and minority religious women, and will shortly be reporting back to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to propose a focused set of priorities around procurement and employer engagement —including tackling employer discrimination, not just in recruitment to the workplace but also in progression through it.
	In the public sector, the duties to promote race and gender equality and to eliminate unlawful discrimination and harassment on these grounds will ensure that black and Asian women are not disadvantaged in the workplace.

Jobcentres: Greater London

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people used each Jobcentre Plus branch in the London borough of Sutton in each of the last five years;
	(2)  how many staff were employed at each Jobcentre Plus branch in the London borough of Sutton in each of the last five years.

Jim Murphy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, Lesley Strathie. I have asked her to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	 Letter from Lesley Strathie, dated 14 May 2007:
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to reply to your questions about the number of people who used each of our offices in the London Borough of Sutton in each of the last five years, and the number of staff employed at those offices in the same period. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	In 2002 there were two offices in Sutton—Sutton Jobcentre and Sutton Social Security Office. The Sutton Social Security Office dealt with personal callers and Incapacity Benefit processing for the London Boroughs of Sutton, Merton, Kingston and Richmond and the county of Surrey. With the reorganisation of benefit delivery work the Incapacity Benefit work was moved in stages to other centres prior to the closure of the Social Security Office in March 2006. Sutton Jobcentre Plus opened on 9 January 2007.
	Information on the number of people using the offices is not available as people do not have to receive benefits to use the job search facilities. The available information on the number of staff who were working at both Sutton Jobcentre and Sutton Social Security Office, including those who are now working at the Jobcentre Plus Office is in the table. Sutton Jobcentre now provides the full range of Jobcentre Plus services.
	
		
			   Sutton Jobcentre( 1)  Sutton Social Security Office( 1) 
			 April 2004 32.8 73.3 
			 March 2005 30.45 59.98 
			 March 2006 35.85 20.63 
			 March 2007 (2)47.26 — 
			 (1) Figures are for full-time equivalents (i.e. two people working half normal hours will count as one person) Staffing records are retained only for three years so figures for 2003 are not available. (2 )The March 2007 figure is for number of staff employed at Sutton Jobcentre Plus.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Lone Parents

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consideration he has given to David Freud's recommendation to transfer lone parents to jobseeker's allowance, or other appropriate benefit, when their youngest child reaches 12 years of age.

Jim Murphy: We have said in the recent "Working for Children" child poverty strategy report that we think we should consider a move to jobseeker's allowance for those that are able to work, with the same basic financial entitlements, but with a much greater work focus. We are considering David Freud's recommendations carefully and will respond in the summer.

New Deal for Disabled People: Take-up

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many participants there were in the New Deal for Disabled People each month since 1998; how many in each month successfully found employment; and how many of those people have remained in employment for longer than six months.

Jim Murphy: holding answer 8 February 2007
	New deal for disabled people (NDDP) has, year on year, been successful in increasing the proportion of participants it has helped into work. Information on the number and proportion of participants on the programme who have been helped into work since the programme started in July 2001, is in the table.
	
		
			  New deal for disabled people 
			   2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Starts 13,360 34,000 38,270 62,340 70,390 
			 People into jobs 1,780 8,350 14,980 26,800 33,130 
			 Percentage of job entries to starts 13 25 39 43 47 
			  Notes: 1. Figures relate to April to March each year, apart from 2001-02, which relates to July 2001 to March 2002. 2. Starts data relate to registrations with Job Brokers, and jobs relate to jobs gained via Job Brokers. 
		
	
	Information on employment lasting for longer than six months through new deal for disabled people is not available. Information broken down by month since the programme started in July 2001 is in the table.
	
		
			   Participants  People gaining a job 
			  2001   
			 July 1,410 40 
			 August 2,780 120 
			 September 3,720 190 
			 October 4,760 180 
			 November 6,510 290 
			 December 7,360 180 
			
			  2002   
			 January 8,750 220 
			 February 10,630 300 
			 March 13,010 470 
			 April 15,210 490 
			 May 18,030 750 
			 June 19,820 580 
			 July 22,030 670 
			 August 24,490 850 
			 September 26,770 970 
			 October 29,050 1,070 
			 November 31,770 1,260 
			 December 32,710 600 
			
			  2003   
			 January 34,730 920 
			 February 37,120 970 
			 March 39,550 1,030 
			 April 41,200 1,180 
			 May 43,040 1,420 
			 June 45,170 1,280 
			 July 47,320 1,300 
			 August 49,420 1,490 
			 September 51,740 1,740 
			 October 54,040 2,160 
			 November 55,500 1,720 
			 December 56,150 1,160 
			
			  2004   
			 January 57,960 1,640 
			 February 60,110 1,690 
			 March 62,540 1,870 
			 April 65,420 2,540 
			 May 68,670 2,270 
			 June 71,590 2,380 
			 July 75,790 2,790 
			 August 78,750 2,480 
			 September 82,040 3,000 
			 October 85,800 3,810 
			 November 88,540 3,150 
			 December 89,670 2,330 
			
			  2005   
			 January 92,160 2,570 
			 February 95,360 2,940 
			 March 98,130 2,810 
			 April 101,630 3,710 
			 May 104,110 3,060 
			 June 106,250 2,860 
			 July 109,380 3,530 
			 August 112,110 2,900 
			 September 115,910 4,450 
			 October 119,100 3,790 
			 November 122,210 3,710 
			 December 123,500 2,700 
			
			  2006   
			 January 126,660 3,030 
			 February 130,490 3,330 
			 March 134,580 4,660 
			 April 137,640 3,540 
			 May 140,720 3,530 
			 June 144,110 4,320 
			 July 147,550 3,600 
			 August 151,530 3,690 
			  Notes: 1. The table includes separate figures for the number of people participating in a particular month, and the number of people gaining a job in a particular month. 2. People participating in a particular month may have gained a job in a subsequent month, and so will be recorded in that month as gaining a job. 3. New deal for disabled people started in July 2001. 4. Latest data are to August 2006.  Source: Information Directorate, Department for Work and Pensions.

Pension Credit: Easington

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Easington constituency received pension credit in each of the last three years.

James Purnell: The answer is in the following table.
	
		
			  Household recipients of pension credit in Easington constituency, 2004 - 06 
			  As at August each year:  Household recipients 
			 2004 4,990 
			 2005 5,070 
			 2006 5,190 
			  Notes:  1. The number of households in receipt are rounded to the nearest 10.  2. Household recipients are those people who claim pension credit either for themselves only or on behalf of a household.  Source:  DWP Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study 100 per cent data.

Pensioners: Council Tax Benefit

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of owner occupier pensioner households receive council tax benefit.

James Plaskitt: The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Council tax benefit (CTB) recipients aged 60 and over who are owner occupiers: Great Britain, May 2004 
			   Number/ P ercentage 
			 CTB recipients aged 60 and over who are owner occupiers 677,000 
			 Percentage of owner occupier pensioner households in receipt of CTB 14.4 
			  Notes: 1. Caseloads and household population figures are rounded to the nearest thousand and percentages to one decimal place. 2. CTB figures are based on a one per cent sample and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation. 3. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 4. Council Tax Benefit figures exclude any Second Adult Rebate cases. 5. 'Aged 60 and over' figures refer to cases where the claimant and/or partner is aged 60 or over. Therefore figures may contain some claimants aged under 60 where there is a partner aged over 60.   Sources: 1. Housing benefit and council tax benefit management information system, annual one per cent sample, taken in May 2004. 2. Survey of English Housing 2004-2005 (DCLG) 3. Living in Wales Survey 2004 (Welsh Assembly) 4. Scotland's Census Results Online (Scrol) 2001 (Scottish Executive)

Pensioners: Social Security Benefits

Don Touhig: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps have been taken by his Department to inform pensioners of their entitlement to  (a) pension credit and  (b) winter fuel allowance; and if he will make a statement.

James Purnell: The information is as follows:
	 Pension Credit
	The Pension Service has undertaken a wide range of steps to encourage eligible pensioners to claim pension credit.
	We have written to everyone who we believe may have an entitlement to pension credit, encouraging them to apply.
	In addition, we are improving our service and encouraging take up by enabling new customers who call to claim their state pension to also apply for pension credit, housing benefit and council tax benefit in a single call if appropriate.
	The Pension Service Local Service offers face-to-face visits to the most vulnerable pensioners during which full benefit entitlement checks are carried out. One million home visits were carried out during 2006-07.
	The Pension Service Local Service is continuing to work very closely with local partners (including local authorities and voluntary organisations such as Help the Aged and Age Concern) to maximise take up of pension credit. We are widening the scope of partnership activity and expanding our current work programme with key utilities and other major companies whose customers include likely eligible non- recipients of pension credit. These activities are being supported by national press advertising to maintain the high profile of pension credit. Local marketing and media campaigns will be targeted in those regions and areas where there are relatively high numbers of eligible non-recipients.
	 Winter Fuel Payment
	Winter fuel payments are made to people aged 60 or over (men and women). Over 99 per cent. of the payments are made automatically without the need to claim. Some people who are not in receipt of a benefit administered by DWP need to claim. Each year we send claim forms automatically to everyone whom we know from departmental records will be aged 60 by the end of the qualifying week and for whom we have a current address. An extensive publicity campaign begins in July and includes advertisements in both regional and national newspapers.

Poverty: London

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what percentage of  (a) all people,  (b) children,  (c) working age disabled people and  (d) disabled children in London were living in severe low income (defined as less than 40 per cent. of contemporary median income) in each year since 1996-97.

Jim Murphy: The information requested is not available.

Retirement: Age

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average retirement age is for couples who are  (a) childless and  (b) not childless.

James Purnell: The information requested is not available.

Social Security Benefits: Benefits Rules

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what consideration he has given to the introduction of a single working age benefit as recommended by David Freud;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with private sector organisations on the introduction of a single working age benefit, as recommended by David Freud.

Jim Murphy: In our Green Paper "A new deal for welfare: Empowering people to work" we said that there may be advantages in moving in the longer term towards a single system of benefits for all people of working age. We will consider the issues further in the light of David Freud's report and recommendations. No specific options have been discussed with commercial organisations.

Social Security Benefits: Lone Parents

Danny Alexander: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what further consideration he has given to the introduction of a work-related activity premium for lone parents with older children, as proposed in the Welfare Reform Green Paper.

Jim Murphy: Following the publication of reports by Lisa Harker and David Freud, we are reconsidering our welfare reform proposals to ensure we have consistent and effective policies to tackle child poverty. We still feel that the Work Related Activity Premium (WRAP) could be a powerful incentive to help lone parents prepare for work and we are now looking at ways of incorporating the premium in our evolving plans for lone parents and poorer families.

State Retirement Pensions: Females

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many women reaching age 60 in 2005 are recorded as having at least one year of Home Responsibilities Protection which  (a) did not coincide with a year which qualified for a retirement pension on the basis of contributions or credits,  (b) did coincide with such a year and  (c) coincided with a year in which there was a Class 1 reduced rate National Insurance election.

James Purnell: pursuant to the reply, 14 March 2007, Official Report, c. 382W
	Of those women reaching age 60 in 2005-06:
	 (a) Around 180,000 are recorded as having at least one year of Home Responsibilities Protection which did not coincide with a year which qualified for basic state pension on the basis of contributions and/or credits.
	 (b) Around 140,000 women are recorded as having at least one year of Home Responsibilities Protection which did coincide with a year which qualified for basic state pension on the basis of contributions and/or credits.
	 (c) Finally, around 60,000 are recorded as having at least one year of Home Responsibilities Protection which coincided with a year in which there was a class 1 reduced rate national insurance election.
	As a result of these issues the information used to answer this PQ only includes data up to and including the 2003-04 tax year.
	Additionally, the figures in the response are based on information available for women aged 58 in 2003-04, since these women are aged 60 in 2005-06. No allowance has been made for deaths between 2003-04 and 2005-06.
	Figures refer to women living in the UK as well as women living overseas.
	 Notes:
	1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10,000.
	2. Figures refer to women living in the UK and overseas.
	 Source:
	Lifetime Labour Market Database 2, 2006 release.

Unemployment

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people of working age were out of employment in each year since 1977-78, broken down by  (a) unemployed,  (b) lone parents on income support,  (c) those on incapacity benefit,  (d) retired people and  (e) other; and if he will make a statement.

Jim Murphy: Information is not available in the format requested; the information is not available prior to 1999. The available information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Working age claimants of "out-of-work" benefits by statistical group, Great Britain: as at August each year 1999 to 2006 
			   Job seekers  Incapacity benefits  Lone parents  Others 
			 1999 1,199,720 2,655,390 945,060 305,120 
			 2000 1,040,250 2,714,850 920,100 277,900 
			 2001 935,920 2,763,800 900,220 259,100 
			 2002 919,220 2,769,620 875,040 253,440 
			 2003 880,120 2,777,170 851,730 243,440 
			 2004 798,290 2,775,050 818,100 247,310 
			 2005 856,300 2,725,540 789,350 241,990 
			 2006 931,450 2,683,130 783,190 243,310 
			  Notes:  1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10; totals may not sum due to rounding.  2. "Out-of-work" benefits are jobseeker's allowance (JSA), income support (IS)/pension credit (for males aged 60 to 64 from October 2003), incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA).  3. "Jobseekers" are recipients of jobseeker's allowance.  4. "Incapacity benefits" are recipients of incapacity benefit (IB) or severe disablement allowance, including those in receipt of IB credits-only.  5. "Lone parents" are single recipients of income support with a child under 16.  6. "Others" are other recipients of "out-of-work"" benefits not included in the other three columns.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate, Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) 100 per cent. data.

Winter Fuel Payments

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what procedures are in place to allow people to claim the winter fuel allowance retrospectively in cases where they had not been notified of its availability;
	(2)  what steps his Department takes to notify people about their eligibility to claim the winter fuel allowance benefit as they first become eligible.

James Purnell: Over 99 per cent. of winter fuel payments are made automatically without the need for a claim as we hold sufficient information on our benefit systems to identify the vast majority of eligible people. Some people who are not in receipt of a benefit administered by DWP need to claim. Each year we send claim forms automatically to everyone who is not in receipt of a benefit administered by DWP, but whom we know from departmental records, will be aged 60 by the end of the qualifying week and where we have a current address. We also run an extensive publicity campaign which begins in July and includes advertisements in both regional and national newspapers. Information on winter fuel payments is also included in a number of leaflets including "Are you over 50?" and "The Pensioner's Guide", as well as a specific winter fuel payment leaflet and on The Pension Service website at
	www.thepensionservice.gov.uk/winterfuel.
	Claims for the years 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-2000 may still be made. Payments were originally made during these years to people receiving specified benefits only. Following a change in the rules in 2000, payments became available to people aged 60 or over regardless of whether they were receiving a benefit. This also applied to the earlier years and therefore no time limits were imposed for claims for these years. Time limits for claiming winter fuel payments apply from winter 2000-01 onwards and for people who need to claim, claim forms are available from July for the oncoming winter. In order to be successful, claims must be submitted by 30 March the following year. Any claims received after the cut off date will be disallowed. There is a right of appeal against any disallowance decision.

Winter Fuel Payments: Easington

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in Easington constituency received winter fuel allowance in the last three years.

James Purnell: The information is in the following table.
	
		
			  Easington constituency 
			   Payments made 
			 2004-05 16,450 
			 2005-06 16,580 
			 2006-07 16,680 
			  Notes:  1. Figures rounded to the nearest 10.  2. Parliamentary constituencies are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant ONS postcode directory.  3. Figures for 2006-07 refer only to the main payment run so they do not include the late payment run figures. We estimate that there are approximately 100,000 people in Great Britain paid in late payment runs (0.8 per cent. of all payments). Since most of the payment runs are to people who are not receiving another benefit from DWP and whose claims had not been received by the qualifying week, most are men aged 60 to 64.  Source:  Information directorate 100 per cent. data.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts: National Lottery

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the investment returns were for  (a) the Community Fund and  (b) the Scottish Arts Council from National Lottery funding (i) in August 2006 and (ii) in the last period for which figures are available; how much Lottery funding is yet to be allocated by (A) the Community Fund and (B) the Scottish Arts Council; what that figure was in August 2006 in each case; how much the (1) Community Fund and (2) the Scottish Arts Council received from the Lottery in 2006; and how much each is expected to receive in 2007.

Richard Caborn: The following table shows the Community Fund's income from the National Lottery Distribution Fund for the financial years 2005-06 and 2006-07, and for August 2006 alone. The last available period for the Community Fund was for the financial year up to 30 November 2006, after which it ceased to exist when the Big Lottery Fund was legally created.
	
		
			  Community F und 
			   Operator related income to nearest £1,000  Investment income to nearest £1,000  Total income to nearest £1,000 
			 Entire financial year 2005-06 230,631,000 7,686,000 238,317,000 
			 August 2006 19,401,000 430,000 19,831,000 
			 Financial year 2006-07 to 30 November 2006 134,602,000 3,794,000 138,396,000 
		
	
	The following table shows the Scottish Arts Council income from the National Lottery Distribution Fund for the financial years 2005-06 and 2006-07; for August 2006 alone, and estimated figures based on the Department's latest income projections, for 2007-08.
	
		
			  Scottish Arts Council 
			   Operator related income to nearest £1,000  Investment income to nearest £1,000  Total income to nearest £1,000 
			 Entire financial year 2005-06 17,851,000 1,608,000 19,459,000 
			 August 2006 1,502,000 103,000 1,604,000 
			 Entire financial year 2006-07 15,552,000 1,326,000 16,878,000 
			 Financial year 2007-08(1) 15,931,000 1,213,000 17,144,000 
			 (1) Estimated. 
		
	
	The Community Fund provided my Department with data on the level of unpaid commitments at the final day of each quarter of the financial year. The closest figure to August 2006 that we have available is September 2006.
	On 30 September 2006 the Community Fund's balance in the National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDF) was £132,532,189. Its forward commitments including both contractually binding and 'in principle' commitments totalled £346,067,280. It was therefore overcommitted on its NLDF balance by £213,535,091.
	The Scottish Arts Council provides my Department with data on the level of unpaid commitments at the final day of each quarter of the financial year. The closest figure to August 2006 that we have available is September 2006.
	On 30 September 2006 the Scottish Arts Council's balance in the National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDF) was £33,149,518. Its forward commitments including both contractually binding and 'in principle' commitments totalled £25,894,345.00. It therefore had in its NLDF balance £7,255,173 which was not allocated.
	On 31 March 2007 the Scottish Arts Council's balance was £31,762,643.69. Its forward commitments, including both contractually binding and 'in principle' commitments totalled £26,011,419. It had therefore not allocated £5,751,225.

British Grand Prix: Tourism

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate her Department has made of  (a) the number of overseas tourists coming to the UK for the Grand Prix and  (b) the contribution of such tourists to the economy.

Shaun Woodward: No information is held centrally on overseas tourists coming to the UK for the Grand Prix.

Channel Four Television: Finance

Derek Wyatt: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with  (a) Channel 4 and  (b) the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the future funding of the channel.

Shaun Woodward: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has regular discussions with Channel 4 on a wide range of topics, including the channel's funding position. She has had discussions with the Chancellor on a broad range of topics relevant to the work of the Department. The Government have made clear that it will await the conclusion of Ofcom's current financial review of Channel 4 before making any decisions on possible measures of assistance for the channel.

Churches Conservation Trust

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport under what statutory powers her Department intends to change the audit arrangements of the Churches Conservation Trust.

David Lammy: The Churches Conservation Trust has been classified as a non-departmental public body for the purposes of its relations with Government, on account of a number of the Trust's characteristics and the nature of its relationship with Government. In its response to Lord Sharman's Report on Audit and Accountability in Central Government (Cm 5456—March 2002), the Government agreed that all non-departmental public bodies should be audited by the Comptroller and Auditor General. This was in line with the practice that had been adopted since 1997. Since 2003, the Treasury has used its powers under section 25(6) of the Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000 to give the Comptroller and Auditor General statutory audit responsibility for more than 30 NDPBs and this is the legislation it will use in the case of the Churches Conservation Trust.

Cultural Heritage: Iraq

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 27 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1327W, on cultural heritage: Iraq, what  (a) reports she has received on and  (b) assessment she has made of the damage to sites of cultural heritage in Iraq since 2003.

Tessa Jowell: My Department received a copy of a report compiled by Dr. John Curtis, Keeper of the Department of the Ancient Near East at the British Museum, who in 2005, at the invitation of the Iraqi Government, carried out an assessment of the damage caused to the site of Babylon.
	Additionally, in February 2007 Dr. Curtis visited the important Mesopotamian site of Ur to assess its condition. Dr. Curtis' report on this visit is still being compiled.

English Institute of Sport: Finance

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the salary is of the Chairman of the English Institute of Sport; and what other public appointment he holds.

Richard Caborn: Steve Cram, Chairman of the English Institute of Sport (EIS) does not receive a salary from the EIS and holds no other public appointments.

Gambling: Fees and Charges

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what her Department's most recent estimate is of the costs to the gaming industry arising from the changes brought about by the Gambling Act 2005; and whether her Department plans to update the Regulatory Impact Assessment in light of the results of the consultation process and the finalisation of the regulatory orders.

Richard Caborn: The Department has no plans to update the RIA that was published in April 2005 with the Gambling Act. If appropriate, we prepare impact assessments for each element of the secondary legislation required to implement the Gambling Act 2005 and these are published with the related Explanatory Memorandum document on the Office for Public Sector Information website and separately in the Better Regulation section of the Department's website.

Leeds United Football Club

Colin Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will instigate discussions with the football authorities on the implications for football in the community initiatives in which Leeds United Football Club is involved of the club's financial problems.

Richard Caborn: The Government welcome the significant grass roots and community work undertaken by football clubs. Football in the Community initiatives are now well established at virtually all professional football clubs in England and Wales, working to increase participation, promote healthy and active lifestyles and enabling clubs to forge meaningful relationships with their local communities. The Government are fully committed to supporting this work and continue to do so through Football Foundation funding.
	Neither the Secretary of State nor I have any plans to discuss with the football authorities the implications of Leeds United FC's financial difficulties for their football in the community scheme. This is a matter for the club and the football authorities.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will place in the Library a copy of the presentation given by KPMG on 28 November 2005 to update the Olympic cost review steering group members on progress of the study.

Tessa Jowell: There is no copy of the presentation given by KPMG. This was an oral report, as is recorded in the minutes.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport who the members are of the Olympic Board, referred to in Note 3 of the minutes of the Olympic cost review steering group of 28 November 2005.

Tessa Jowell: The members of the Olympic Board on 28 of November 2005 were the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, Lord Coe, Chairman of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and Lord Moynihan, Chairman of the British Olympic Association.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will place in the Library a copy of the draft report that was produced by KPMG referred to in point four of the minutes of the first meeting of the Olympic cost review steering group held on 31 October 2005.

Tessa Jowell: No draft report was produced as KPMG's role was changed at that time to one of providing ongoing advice to the Department as part of the more detailed cost review that we were undertaking.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  if she will place in the Library a copy of the briefing notes provided to the Treasury as referred to in Note 2 of the minutes of the Olympic cost review steering group of 14 November 2005;
	(2)  for what purpose the Treasury needed the briefing referred to in Note 2 of the minutes of the Olympic cost review steering group of 14 November 2005.

Tessa Jowell: As there was no briefing to the Olympic board steering group on 22 Dec 2005, no briefing was provided to the Treasury on this matter.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the  (a) dates and  (b) ministerial attendees were for each meeting held to brief the Treasury on the findings of the cost review.

Tessa Jowell: The dates of meetings were 20 July and 21 September 2006. The Ministers attending were as follows:
	On 20 July—the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the Financial Secretary to the Treasury, the Minister for Sport and myself.
	On 21 September—I met with the Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many compulsory purchase orders the Government have made for land to be used for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Tessa Jowell: Two compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) have been made by the London Development Agency (LDA) to secure the delivery of the land required for the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games and the long-term regeneration of the Lower Lea Valley.
	The Undergrounding of Powerlines, Lower Lea Valley CPO 2005 enables the 52 pylons that lie within the Lower Lea Valley to be removed and the electricity powerlines that they currently carry across the park to be buried.
	The Lower Lea Valley, Olympic and Legacy CPO 2005 was made to ensure that the LDA is able to meet its commitment to assemble all of the land required for the long-term cohesive and sustainable regeneration of the area.
	Following public inquiries in 2006, the LDA has now had its compulsory purchase powers for both CPOs confirmed by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the proportion of the Olympic Delivery Authority's construction work which will quality for Industrial Buildings Allowance.

Richard Caborn: holding answer 3 May 2007
	 According to the current legislation industrial buildings allowances (IBA) can be applied for by the person with a relevant interest who incurs expenditure on the construction of an industrial building once it is brought into use for the purposes of a qualifying trade. The main qualifying trades are manufacturing, processing, certain storage businesses and transport undertakings. However, as announced in this year's Budget this particular allowance is to be phased out by 1 April 2011. As a result, it will not have any potential application to the construction and legacy use of the Olympic Park.

Olympic Games: Greater London

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what value of Lottery funds she estimates will be diverted from good causes in Northern Ireland as a result of the increase in the estimated cost of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Tessa Jowell: Of the additional £675 million I announced on 15 March, the Arts Council of Northern Ireland will contribute £2.5 million and the Sports Council for Northern Ireland £2.3 million.
	Of the relevant UK-wide distributing bodies, Heritage Lottery Fund will make a contribution towards the additional £675 million of £90.2 million and Big Lottery Fund will make a contribution of £425 million. It is for these distributors to determine the proportion of their funding which goes to Northern Ireland.
	Grants already made need not be affected and we have agreed with the Big Lottery Fund that resources for the voluntary and community sector will be protected. The sector will still receive at least the amount implied by Big's earlier commitment, that is, around £2 billion.

Olympic Games: Greater London

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much of the total budget for the London Olympics in 2012 set aside for direct funding of cultural events which are part of the cultural Olympiad is for  (a) mandatory ceremonies,  (b) bid projects and signature events and  (c) UK cultural festivals.

David Lammy: The mandatory ceremonies will be directly funded from the London 2012 Organising Committee's budget for the 2012 games. It is confident that the mandatory ceremonies will be funded within its £2 billion revenue budget. The bid projects and signature events and the UK-wide cultural festival will be delivered and funded in partnership with a range of public and private partners.

Sports: Children

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many children in  (a) West Bromwich, East constituency and  (b) the West Midlands region have been nominated for a talented athlete scholarship scheme since its introduction.

Richard Caborn: Since its introduction in 2004 the talented athlete scholarship scheme has distributed an award to one athlete in the West Bromwich East constituency and 174 in the West Midlands region.

Sports: Funding

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what conditions are set by UK Sport for recipients of World Class Performance programme funding in relation to party political activity.

Richard Caborn: UK Sport does not set specific conditions for recipients of World Class Pathway funding in relation to party political activity. The fundamental basis of the terms and conditions set out in the Athlete Personal Award are there to protect an athlete's performance. An athlete's political persuasion is not a matter for UK Sport, unless it could be proved that as a result of their activity, it brought the Performance Programme into disrepute.

Sports: Funding

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what provision she has made for the continuation of funding to the Community Club Development Programme once the current funding cycle ceases.

Richard Caborn: Funding for the Community Club Development Programme beyond 2008 will be subject to the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review.

Sports: West Midlands

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Supporters Direct and the Supporters Trust Initiative in the West Midlands region.

Richard Caborn: Supporters Direct was established in 2000 and aims to deliver responsible democratic representation at football clubs through the establishment of Supporters Trusts. Over 140 trusts have already been established with Supporters Direct's help and over 120,000 people have been introduced to local democratic structures as club trust members.
	Supporters Direct has either directly or indirectly helped with the establishment of 27 trusts in the Midlands area of which 12 are located in the West Midlands. It has a full-time development worker providing dedicated help, advice, assistance and guidance along with access to training programmes and funding opportunities to the region.
	AFC Telford, a trust-owned club, has become a beacon of the supporters trust movement. Following the liquidation of the old Telford United during the 2003-04 season, AFC Telford established a supporters' trust which has made an important contribution to the club's success both on and off the field.
	Also, through funding from the Football Foundation, the club has created a successful community hub at their ground, the New Bucks Head, in the form of a learning centre which I had the pleasure of opening.

UK Film Council: Funding

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the projected funding allocation is for the UK Film Council in each of the next two financial years.

Shaun Woodward: For 2007-08, the UKFC will receive £24.11 million of grant in aid funding plus a £1 million capital award to go to the British Film Institute. The level of the grant in aid funding for 2008-09 will be dependent on a decision made in the current Comprehensive Spending Review.
	The UK Film Council also receives lottery funding. It is not possible to exactly forecast income from the lottery but, based on current projections for 2007-08, this funding might total around £30 million.
	The lottery funding available to the UK Film Council in 2008-09 cannot yet be estimated. It will depend to a significant extent on decisions made following consultation with lottery distributors on how to accommodate the proposed transfer, subject to parliamentary approval, of funds held in the National Lottery Distribution Fund to the Olympic Lottery Distribution Fund after 2009.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Departments: Sick Leave

David Simpson: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people took sick leave for stress in his Department in the last 12 months; and what percentage of the total staff number this represents.

John Prescott: None.

Post Offices

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent progress has been made in considering the responses to the consultation on the future of the Post Office Network.

John Prescott: The Post Office Network consultation concluded on 8 March 2007 and the Government received over 2,500 representations, which are currently being given full consideration.
	I am chairing discussions on the Government's response in the appropriate Cabinet Committee, and we hope to be able to announce our final decisions shortly.

JUSTICE

Courts: Manpower

Oliver Heald: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to her Answer of 30 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1452W, on courts: manpower, what research has been undertaken into the reasons for court service staff leaving.

Harriet Harman: Data in relation to the reasons for leaving Her Majesty's Courts Service are held on the HR IT system. The detail of why a person left is held locally and monitoring is carried out to assess trends and to decide any action that might need to be taken.
	For the period April 2006 to March 2007 the reasons for leaving HMCS were:
	
		
			   Percentage 
			 Resignation 68.50 
			 Retirement 22.60 
			 Death in Service 1.27 
			 Dismissal 3.95 
			 Severance 1.40 
			 Loan to OGD 0.90 
			 Transfer to OGD 1.38

Departments: Internet

Theresa May: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs for which Government websites she is responsible; how many visitors each received in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the cost  (a) was of establishing and  (b) has been of maintaining each site.

Vera Baird: The information requested is listed in the following table. The table details annual costs and unique visitors, for the period April 2006 to March 2007, for each of the websites for which my Department is responsible. We have a small number of contracts that provide support and maintenance for multiple sites. Where this is the case, the total cost of the contract is detailed underneath the table.
	
		
			  Ministry of Justice website costs and unique visitors April 2006-March 2007 
			  Organisation  Site address  Costs (£)  Unique visitors 
			 Adjudicator to HM Land Registry www.ahmlr.gov.uk Tribunals 13,633 
			 Asylum and Immigration Tribunal www.ait.gov.uk Tribunals 452,109 
			 Civil Justice Council www.civiljusticecouncil.gov.uk Central 35,227 
			 Commission for Judicial Appointments www.cja.gov.uk Central 11,614 
			 Commissioner for Judicial Appointments for Northern Ireland http://cjani.courtsni.gov.uk NICS 3,725 
			 Community Justice www.communityjustice.gov.uk Central 9,989 
			 Community Legal Service www.clsdirect.org.uk 411,414 1,567,393 
			 Coroners Service for Northern Ireland www.coronersni.gov.uk NICS 4,623 
			 Council on Tribunals www.council-on-tribunals.gov.uk Central 32,420 
			 Criminal Courts Review www.criminal-courts-review.org.uk Central 49,867 
			 Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel www.cicap.gov.uk Tribunals 26,279 
			 Department for Constitutional Affairs www.dca.gov.uk Central 2,868,072 
			 Employment Appeal Tribunal www.employmentappeals.gov.uk Tribunals 383,994 
			 Employment Tribunals www.employmenttribunals.gov.uk Tribunals 1,055,966 
			 Family Justice Council www.familyjusticecouncil.org.uk Central 23,660 
			 Finance and Tax Tribunals www.financeandtaxtribunals.gov.uk Tribunals 125,187 
			 Gambling Appeals Tribunal (launched January 2007) www.gamblingappealstribunal.gov.uk Tribunals 1,178 
			 Gender Recognition Panel www.grp.gov.uk Tribunals 26,052 
			 General Commissioners of Income Tax www.generalcommissioners.gov.uk Tribunals 11,529 
			 Her Majesty's Courts Service www.hmcourts-service.gov.uk 301,980 4,940,248 
			 Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Court Administration www.hmica.gov.uk Central 27,957 
			 Hutton Inquiry www.the-hutton-inquiry.org.uk Central 54,283 
			 Immigration Services Tribunal www.immigrationservicestribunal.gov.uk Tribunals 16,939 
			 Information Tribunal www.informationtribunal.gov.uk Tribunals 30,388 
			 Judicial Appointments and Conduct Ombudsman www.judicialombudsman.gov.uk Central 4,007 
			 Judicial Appointments Commission wwwjudicialappointments.gov.uk Central 79,015 
			 Judicial Studies Board www.jsboard.co.uk Central 184,478 
			 Judicial Studies Board for Northern Ireland www.jsbni.com NICS 4,088 
			 Judiciary www.judiciary.gov.uk Central 165,975 
			 Land Registry www.landreg.gov.uk 48,792 2,497,403 
			 Land Register Online www.landregisteronline.gov.uk As above No data available 
			 Lands Tribunal www.landstribunal.gov.uk Tribunals 73,580 
			 Law Commission www.lawcom.gov.uk Central 394,411 
			 Legal Services Commission www.legalservices.gov.uk 37,100 616,879 
			 Legal Services Research Centre www.lsrc.org.uk 130 No data available 
			 Legal Services Review www.legal-services-review.org.uk Central No data available 
			 Mental Health Review Tribunal www.mhrt.org.uk Tribunals 27,185 
			 Money Claim online www.moneyclaim.gov.uk 948,000 (1)69,422 
			 National Archives www.nationalarchives.gov.uk 440,930 7,005,974 
			 Northern Ireland Court Service www.courtsni.gov.uk 241,504 118,009 
			 Northern Ireland Court Service Education Online www.education.courtsni.gov.uk NICS No data available 
			 Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Commission www.nijac.org NICS 10,318 
			 Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Ombudsman www.nijao.gov.uk NICS No data available 
			 Office of Judicial Complaints www.judicialcomplaints.gov.uk Central 9,342 
			 Office of Legal Services Ombudsman www.olso.org 2,256 101,211 
			 Office of the Legal Services Complaints Commissioner www.olscc.gov.uk Central 11,201 
			 Official Solicitor and Public Trustee www.officialsolicitor.gov.uk Central 35,840 
			 Party Funding Review www.partyfundingreview.gov.uk Central 11,328 
			 Pensions Appeal Tribunal www.pensionsappealtribunals.gov.uk Tribunals 7,818 
			 Possession claims online (launched end October 2006) www.possessionclaim.gov.uk 370,385 (1)2,020 
			 Public Guardianship Office www.guardianship.gov.uk Central 432,786 
			 Review of Legal Aid Procurement www.legalaidprocurementreview.gov.uk Tribunals 34,661 
			 Social Security and Child Support Appeals Tribunal www.appeals-service.gov.uk Tribunals 64,440 
			 Social Security and Child Support Commissioners www.osscsc.gov.uk Tribunals 134,026 
			 Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal for England www.sendist.gov.uk Tribunals 35,015 
			 Transport Tribunal www.transporttribunal.gov.uk Tribunals 20,374 
			 Tribunals Review www.tribunals-review.org.uk — No data available 
			 Tribunals Service www.tribunals.gov.uk Tribunals 67,642 
			 (1) Number of claims issued through the site. Unique visitor numbers are not available. 
		
	
	Staff costs are not included and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	The following two contracts are provided by Cable and Wireless under contract.
	Central contract: £715,344
	Tribunals contract: £109,764
	NICS: Northern Ireland Court Service has its own hosting and maintenance arrangements at an annual cost of £274,296.

Freedom of Information

Dai Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 19 April 2007,  Official Report, column 7098W, on freedom of information, for what reasons her Department decided to publish submissions to the first round of consultation on the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Draft Regulations 2007 only after the completion of the second round of consultation; and what consideration was given to the merits of publication of the first round of responses while the second round was still active.

Vera Baird: The consultation paper published by my Department on 14 December 2006 attracted interest from a variety of people and organisations, some of whom commented on the principle of the changes being proposed while others suggested that they would have welcomed an opportunity to do so.
	To ensure that people have the opportunity to express those views, my Department published a supplementary paper on the consultation inviting further comments on the principle of amending the 2004 regulations and also any further views on the draft regulations themselves as set out in the full consultation paper. The supplementary paper should be read together with the full consultation paper CP 28/06. The consultation period has therefore been extended until 21 June 2007
	My Department will publish its response only after we have carefully analysed and considered all the consultation responses together at the end of the consultation period.

Sharia Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate she has made of the number of Sharia courts in operation in England and Wales; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: Sharia law has no jurisdiction in England and Wales.
	There are however, a number of Sharia councils in England and Wales that, on a private basis where the parties consent, deal with the mediation and resolution of personal and contractual disputes. These councils are not part of the court system. In all cases, parties will always have recourse to the UK courts.

Magistrates Courts

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many magistrates courts there are in  (a) rural and  (b) non-rural areas.

Harriet Harman: There are 360 magistrates courts in England and Wales. Of the 323 magistrates courts in England, 106 are in rural and 217 in non-rural areas based on the DEFRA (Rural Definition and Local Authority classification). No information is available is on rural/non-rural areas for the 37 Welsh courts based on local authority classification.

Sentencing

David Simpson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the answer of 30 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1455W, on sentencing, what factors the Court of Appeal Criminal Division considers in ensuring consistency of sentencing.

Harriet Harman: It is a matter of judicial discretion as to what factors the Court of Appeal Criminal Division take into account when considering an appeal. Among the factors likely to be considered are any guidelines of the Court of Appeal, any guidelines published by the Sentencing Guidelines Council, and common practice identified by previous decisions of that court.

Tribunals: Incapacity Benefit

John Grogan: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the average cost was of hearing an incapacity benefit appeal at a tribunal in the last 12 months.

Vera Baird: The information my hon. Friend has asked for is not available in the format requested as data are gathered over all appeals and not by specific benefit type.
	The overall average cost of clearing a Social Security appeal during the 2005-06 year was £260.

Victims Surcharge

David Burrowes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what estimate has been made of the impact of the implementation of the victims surcharge on the level of monies received from fines imposed by magistrates courts.

Harriet Harman: It is estimated that there will be no significant impact on the level of monies received from fines imposed by magistrates courts following the implementation of the victims surcharge.

Victims Surcharge

Philip Davies: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs what account is taken of the extent to which an offence has a victim in determining whether to apply the victims surcharge to the fines imposed on the perpetrators of that offence.

Harriet Harman: In determining whether to apply the victims surcharge no account is taken of the extent to which an offence has a victim. The surcharge is paid by all offenders sentenced to a fine in the criminal courts, whether or not any other penalty is imposed.

DUCHY OF LANCASTER

Departments: Buildings

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 
	(1)  when building work on Project George is planned to commence;
	(2)  which Minister authorised the commencement of the works for Project George;
	(3)  whether the Cabinet Office has submitted a  (a) planning application and  (b) listed building consent request to facilitate the Project George building works.

Hilary Armstrong: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 8 March 2007,  Official Report, column 2198W.

Departments: Golden Arrow Public Affairs

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what meetings Ministers in the Cabinet Office have had with representatives of Golden Arrow Public Affairs in the last 12 months.

Theresa May: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many meetings  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials from her Department held with Sovereign Strategy in each year between 1997 and 2006.

Hilary Armstrong: Ministers and civil servants meet many people as part of the process of policy development and advice. It is not normal practice to disclose details of such meetings.

Ministerial Residences

Oliver Heald: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 30 November 2006,  Official Report, column 890W, on ministerial residences, what the cost was of refurbishing the flat above 10 Downing Street.

Hilary Armstrong: I refer the hon. Member to the answer that I gave him on 30 November 2006,  Official Report, column 890W.
	Information will be published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Resource Accounts when these have been audited.

Policy Review

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what plans she has to publish a full breakdown of the costs of the Government's Policy Review.

Hilary Armstrong: The Policy Reviews are still in progress and costs will not be available until they are complete. It will not be possible to provide a complete breakdown of all the costs, because some cannot be separated out from other work undertaken by officials.

Policy Review

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what the timetable is for implementing recommendations from the Government's Policy Review.

Hilary Armstrong: The recommendations from the Policy Review are feeding into a range of Government business including the Comprehensive Spending Review, PSA targets and future departmental plans and strategies. Next steps specific to individual reviews are set out in the published reports, available on the Cabinet Office website.

Policy Review

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 24 April 2007,  Official Report, columns 1017-18W, on the policy review, what estimate she has made of the cost of producing the presentations made as part of the Policy Review.

Hilary Armstrong: It is not possible to separate out costs to date of producing presentations from those of other work for the Policy Reviews. Full costs for the Reviews will not be available until after they are complete.

Policy Review

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 24 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1018W, on the Policy Review, how much has been paid to companies or organisations other than IPSOS-MORI as part of the Government's Policy Review.

Hilary Armstrong: Full payments to outside organisations in connection with the Policy Reviews will not be known until the reviews are complete.

Policy Review

Mark Hoban: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster pursuant to the answer of 24 April 2007,  Official Report, column 1018W, on the policy review, what estimate she has made of the cost of producing reports and publications as part of the Policy Review.

Hilary Armstrong: The Policy Review process is still under way and final costs will not be available until after it is finished.

HOME DEPARTMENT

British Nationality: Applications

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many applicants for British citizenship who made applications for naturalisation based on passes in tests on knowledge of life in the UK have had their application held in abeyance while the investigation into City-Wide Learning is underway;
	(2)  what the outcome is of his investigations into City-Wide Learning, based in Sheffield; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  when he expects those applicants for British citizenship who have made applications for naturalisation based on tests of knowledge of life in the UK, and who have had their application held in abeyance while he investigates City-Wide Learning, to be told the outcome of their application.

Liam Byrne: [holding answer 16 April 2007: The investigation by South Yorkshire Police is still ongoing and it would not be appropriate to comment at this stage.
	Proposals are being drawn up for further consideration of the applications being held in the light of concerns about the City-Wide Learning Centre in Sheffield. The applicants will be notified of the outcome of these deliberations as soon as possible.

Burglaries: Greater London

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 25 April 2007,  Official Report, columns 1136-40W, on burglaries: Greater London, why  (a) recorded crime data are published on a financial year basis and  (b) conviction data are published on a calendar year basis; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 8 May 2007
	In 1997-98, agreement was reached to collect and publish the recorded crime data on a financial year basis. This was to reflect the movement to an increasingly performance-related culture. Police forces were already publishing financial year data in their chief constables' annual reports and the decision to move also removed the unnecessary effort by the police of providing calendar year data centrally.
	The annual Command Paper "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales" which contains data on convictions, has been published on a calendar year basis for many years and there has been no decision to change this. Since the decision to publish recorded crime data on a financial year basis, there has not been a demand to align the period covered by both publications.

Child Rescue Alert

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Child Rescue Alert Service introduced by police forces.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 27 April 2007
	 : The use of Child Rescue Alert is an operational matter for the chief officer of each individual force concerned. The scheme is sponsored by the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and is based on a model piloted by Sussex police. ACPO advise that since the scheme was rolled out nationally in 2006, there have been no activations and consequently no evaluation has taken place. I understand from the National Policing Improvement Agency that Child Rescue Alert will be included as part of the NPIA's bi-annual review of the National Missing Persons Guidance.

Community Policing

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the performance of each safer neighbourhood team in Leyton and Wanstead.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office is monitoring and evaluating the neighbourhood policing programme across England and Wales through a strategic research programme. The results will be published in due course.
	The Home Office also continues to assess police performance, including the impact of neighbourhood policing, through the Police Performance Assessment Framework (PPAF). Inspections by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary also provide a qualitative assessment of neighbourhood policing delivery.

Community Support Officers

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many community support officers have become full members of the police force.

Tony McNulty: This information is not centrally collected.

Community Support Officers: Pay

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what meetings he has held with representatives of police community support officers on introducing a single national rate of pay for police community support officers;
	(2)  what guidance he has issued to police authorities on salary levels of police community support officers.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 20 April 2007
	My right hon. Friend the Home Secretary has not held any meetings about the introduction of a single national rate of pay for PCSOs and no guidance has been issued on salary levels for PCSOs.

Crime: Alcoholic Drinks

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what percentage of crime in each of the last five years alcohol was determined as a contributing factor; and what trends are discernible in the figures.

Vernon Coaker: From the information collected centrally, it is not possible to identify those offences which are alcohol related. Such offences are not specifically defined by statute and details of the individual circumstances of offences do not feature in the recorded crime data series.
	The British Crime Survey (BCS) provides information on the proportion of violent incidents in England and Wales where the offender was thought to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. According to the latest BCS (2005-06) the offender was thought to be under the influence of alcohol in 44 per cent. of violent incidents. This level is as it was in 2001-02 (the apparent fall from 47 to 44 per cent. is not statistically significant). See Table 1 for figures from 2001-02 to 2005-06.
	The proportion of other crime related incidents where the offender was thought be under the influence of alcohol has not been estimated.
	This information was published by the Home Office in the Crime in England and Wales 2005-06 and Violent Crime Overview, Homicide and Gun crime 2004-05 publications. This information is via Home Office websites
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/crimeew0506.html and
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/crimeew0405.html.
	
		
			  Table  :  1 Whether offender/s under the influence of drink in violent incidents 
			   British Crime Survey 
			  Under influence of alcohol  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Yes 47 44 50 48 44 
			 No 44 45 40 43 47 
			 Don't know 9 11 10 9 9

Criminal Casework Team

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what  (a) internal and  (b) external reviews of the Criminal Casework Team have been conducted in the last five years.

John Reid: I refer the hon. Member to the evidence given on 6 June 2006 to the Home Affairs Committee by Lin Homer, the chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency. During this evidence session, the chief executive provided a comprehensive account of the operation of the criminal casework directorate and the systematic failings which led to foreign nationals being released without deportation consideration.
	The chief executive of the Border and Immigration Agency also explained in her letter of 9 October to the same Committee that an independent review is being undertaken by the Senior Director of Enforcement into how the release of the foreign national prisoners occurred. She anticipates receiving the review soon and will subsequently share the findings and lessons learned.

Departments: Internet

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department  (a) sponsors and  (b) funds the confidential access website; and if he will make a statement.

Joan Ryan: The site in question is not sponsored or funded by the Home Office.

Driving Offences: Blackwall Tunnel

Bob Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many motorists were  (a) arrested for and  (b) convicted of dangerous driving in the Blackwall Tunnel in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 2 May 2007
	The information requested on arrests is not held centrally.

Fines

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been given on-the-spot fines by the police since 1997; and what percentage went on to re-offend.

Tony McNulty: The Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND) Scheme was implemented in all police forces in England and Wales in 2004 under provisions in the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001. Prior to this the police did not have the option of issuing on the spot fines for minor offences, having instead to issue a caution, reprimand or final warning or refer offenders to the court system to bring them to justice. Data from the Penalty Notices for Disorder database held by the Office for Criminal Justice reform show that 210,120 PNDs were issued to offenders from January 2004 to December 2005. Provisional data for 2006 show that a further 192,583 were issued in that year.
	Data on the number of people issued with more than one PND are not held centrally and no estimate has been made. However, police forces do keep records of PND recipients on local databases which help inform local operational decisions. Forces are also required to enter details of those PNDs issued for recordable offences on the Police National Computer; however not all PND offences are recordable.
	
		
			  Table 1c: Number of PNDs issued to offenders aged 16 and over, by police force area, all offences, England and Wales 2004, 2005 and January-June 2006 provisional data 
			  Police force area  2004  2005 ( 1) 2006  Total 
			 Avon and Somerset 508 3,244 3,876 7,628 
			 Bedfordshire 503 1,239 1,602 3,344 
			 Cambridgeshire 359 1046 1,346 2,751 
			 Cheshire 972 2,387 2,265 5,624 
			 Cleveland 559 2,806 3,552 6,917 
			 Cumbria 578 1,220 1,677 3,475 
			 Derbyshire 656 1,593 2,537 4,786 
			 Devon and Cornwall 1,889 5,134 6,976 13,999 
			 Dorset 516 1,381 2,262 4,159 
			 Durham 597 1,149 1,583 3,329 
			 Essex 2,802 4,454 4,357 11,613 
			 Gloucestershire 473 1,721 2,654 4,848 
			 Greater Manchester 2,253 7,256 10,532 20,041 
			 Hampshire 2,116 3,658 4,365 10,139 
			 Hertfordshire 412 1296 5,312 7,020 
			 Humberside 1,596 3,265 5,385 10,246 
			 Kent 767 5,032 6,889 12,688 
			 Lancashire 5,077 10,222 12,401 27,700 
			 Leicestershire 756 1,909 2,376 5,041 
			 Lincolnshire 544 2,373 1,930 4,847 
			 London, City of 60 219 305 584 
			 Merseyside 3,929 11,937 11,269 27,135 
			 Metropolitan 12,758 18,047 20,171 50,976 
			 Norfolk 475 676 1,323 2,474 
			 North Yorkshire 1,078 1,596 2,367 5,041 
			 Northamptonshire 570 1,403 2,498 4,471 
			 Northumbria 211 2,147 6,307 8,665 
			 Nottinghamshire 1,060 2,119 2,205 5,384 
			 South Yorkshire 2,098 3,710 5,989 11,797 
			 Staffordshire 1,450 2,169 3,209 6,828 
			 Suffolk 472 901 1,460 2,833 
			 Surrey 203 641 2,819 3,663 
			 Sussex 1,509 4,193 5,023 10,725 
			 Thames Valley 1,038 5,795 6,676 13,509 
			 Warwickshire 481 933 1,016 2,430 
			 West Mercia 275 1,774 3,433 5,482 
			 West Midlands 4,773 7320 7,925 20,018 
			 West Yorkshire 4,277 9,217 8,866 22,360 
			 Wiltshire 610 1,080 1,224 2,914 
			 Dyfed Powys 459 1,214 1,353 3,026 
			 Gwent 424 1,511 1,908 3,843 
			 North Wales 1,255 3,792 6,049 11,096 
			 South Wales 241 1,702 5,311 7,254 
			 England and Wales 63,639 146,481 192,583 402,703 
			 (1 )Provisional figures

Members: Correspondence

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will provide a substantive response to question 91073, tabled on 6 September 2006, on non-criminal prisoners detained under the Immigration Act 1971.

John Reid: My hon. Friend the Member for Bradford, South (Mr. Sutcliffe) wrote to the hon. Member on 8 May 2007.

Metropolitan Police: Translation Services

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the Metropolitan Police spent on translators in each of the last five years.

Tony McNulty: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 March 2007,  Official Report, column 672W, to my hon. Friend the Member for West Ham (Lyn Brown).

National Disabled Police Association

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Minister for Policing, Security and Community Safety has met representatives from the National Disabled Police Association to discuss their current funding arrangements.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 24 April 2007
	I have established a pattern of regular meetings with the National Disabled Police Association and other police associations. I last met NDPA representatives on 17 April 2007 and discussed arrangements for the funding of their organisation.

National Disabled Police Association

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what plans his Department has for levels of funding to the National Disabled Police Association;
	(2)  what funding his Department provided to the National Disabled Police Association in each of the last two financial years.

Tony McNulty: holding answer s 24 April 2007
	The Home Office provided £10,000 in funding for 2005-06 and £37,000 in 2006-07. In addition, the Home Office has provided funding of £31,000 to the National Disabled Police Association (NDPA) for 2007-08 and has committed to providing the same amount for each of the next two years.

Police Manpower

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 26 February 2007,  Official Report, column 1082W, on police manpower, what assessment he has made of the effect of changes in the numbers on the effectiveness of policing; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: Effective policing is delivered by police officers, police staff and police community support officers. Decisions on their number in each force is a matter for the Chief Officer of Police. In December 2006 I suspended the system of financial penalties attached to the Crime Fighting Fund to provide greater flexibility for forces to plan their workforce. It is too early to assess the impact of this decision, but we are monitoring officer numbers on a quarterly basis and will intervene if there are genuine performance concerns that are clearly linked to a fall in officer numbers. In addition, the review of policing in England and Wales which the Home Secretary has asked Sir Ronnie Flanagan to carry out will consider the efficient and effective use of resources.

Police National Computer: Personal Records

Stephen Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many records have been removed from the Police National Computer as exceptional cases at the discretion of senior police officers where the data subject had been wrongfully arrested;
	(2)  how many records were removed from the Police National Computer as exceptional cases at the discretion of senior police officers in each year since 2003.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 20 March 2007
	We only have records since the introduction of the Association of Chief Police Officers 'Retention Guidelines for Nominal Records on the Police National Computer incorporating the Step Down Model' which was published in March 2006.
	In 2006—79 cases removed with another 46 cases in the process of removal.
	In 2007—one case removed with 23 cases to be removed.

Police: EU Countries

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the meetings he has held with Ministers from other European Union countries on policing matters between 1 January and 31 March 2007.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 24 April 2007
	Home Office Ministers meet their EU counterparts on a regular basis at the Justice and Home Affairs Council. My hon. Friend the Member for Enfield, North (Joan Ryan) the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office attended the Informal Council in Dresden on 15-16 January and the formal Council in Brussels on 15-16 February. Policing matters were discussed at both.
	During the period 1 January to 31 March 2007, the Home Secretary met the Irish Tánaiste and Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr. McDowell and Vice President of the European Commission, Commissioner Frattini. Policing matters such as organised crime and the Prüm information exchange system were discussed at both meetings. In addition, I visited Turkey to discuss organised crime in March.

Police: Finance

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on police funding in  (a) Northamptonshire and  (b) the East Midlands.

Tony McNulty: Northamptonshire and all police authorities in the East Midlands are receiving their fair share of available funding.
	This year Northamptonshire is receiving £71.7 million in general grants, an increase of 3.6 per cent. (£2.5 million) over the equivalent figure for 2006-07. This is in line with the broadly flat rate increase of 3.6 per cent. for all forces in England and Wales including the other forces in the East Midlands. In addition to general grant, Northamptonshire will continue to benefit from an estimated £10 million from a range of other funding.

Police: Heathrow Airport

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many armed police were asked to assist with the arrival of former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Heathrow airport on 22 April; and what the cost was of their employment for this period.

Tony McNulty: This is an operational matter for the Commissioner of Police for the Metropolis.

Police: Training

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what funding is planned for police training in each of the next three financial years.

Tony McNulty: Funding for Police Training is largely a matter for individual chief constables and police authorities. This is reviewed on an annual basis.
	There are a number of centrally funded programmes which support national training priorities which are now the responsibility of the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA).
	The NPIA's business plan contains a commitment to a major review of national training provision. The plan is available to download from www.npia.police.uk and a copy will be placed in the Library.

Police: Transport

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police forces provide subsidised public transport for their staff.

Tony McNulty: The Home Office does not collect data on whether police forces providing subsidised public transport for their staff. This is a matter for the respective forces.

Police: Unmanned Air Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has held with  (a) ministerial colleagues,  (b) representatives of industry and  (c) police forces on the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in tackling (i) crime and (ii) terrorism.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 24 April 2007
	The Home Office continues to monitor and explore the development of unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) technology for a range of policing and security applications through the Home Office Scientific Development Branch and Home Office Aviation Advisor working in conjunction with Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) Air Support Committee.
	An area of overriding concern for UAV deployment is the safety of other aircraft and members of the public. These are such important issues that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) places substantial restrictions on when, where and how such aircraft might be deployed. Unfortunately, however attractive the UAV solution may appear at first sight the CAA/safety issues cannot be put aside.
	Representatives of industry are being consulted and involved through groups such as the UAV Systems Association. These industry representatives are also working closely with CAA and other regulatory bodies to ensure safety concerns are identified and addressed in opening up the potential future use by the police in UK civil airspace.

Prison Service: Corruption

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to strengthen the approach of HM Prison Service against staff corruption; how many full-time equivalent staff are engaged in activities against staff corruption inside HM Prison Service; what budget has been allocated to the  (a) detection and  (b) discipline of staff involved in staff corruption in HM Prison Service; who is responsible for the management of the effort against staff corruption in HM Prison Service; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
	There is an on going improvement plan to strengthen the approach to tackling corruption within the Prison Service. The matter of resources and staff has been addressed previously in my response to the hon. Gentleman on 1 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 1518-19W and 2 May 2007,  Official Report, column 1683W.
	Corruption is tackled through the operational line, with policy being set by HMPS Security Group overseen by the Director of High Security

Prison Service: Termination of Employment

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many HM Prison Service staff were dismissed for suspected criminal activity at each prison establishment in each of the last five years; what proportion of these cases involved  (a) police investigations and  (b) prosecutions; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
	The public sector Prison Service does not currently hold the information centrally in the format requested. The contracted estate has been able to provide some information on the number of staff dismissed in the last five years, which is contained in the following table Further information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Table: Number  of dismissals from contracted prisons for suspected criminal activity in the last five years, and the no. of police investigations and prosecutions arising 
			   Dismissals  Investigations and prosecutions 
			   2003  2004  2005  2006  2007  
			 Ashfield 0 <5 0 0 0 <5 
			 Bronzefield (1)— 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Doncaster 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Dovegate 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Forest Bank 0 <5 <5 <5 <5 (2)<5 
			 Lowdham Grange 0 <5 <5 <5 0 5 investigations <5 prosecutions 
			 Parc 0 0 0 0 0 Nil 
			 Peterborough (3)— <5 <5 <5 (4)<5 investigations 
			 Altcourse, Rye Hill, and Wolds(5) <5 0 <5 <5 <5 <5 
			 (1) Opened June 2004. (2) Corporate HR at Kalyx is unable to confirm whether any further investigations or prosecutions were carried out for dismissals at HMP YOI Forest Bank. (3) Opened March 2005. (4) Corporate HR at Kalyx is unable to confirm whether anyone was prosecuted as a result of police investigations at HMP Peterborough. (5) Due to the reporting system used by Corporate HR at GSL, figures are only available as a combined total for all three of the sites that they manage. NB Numbers are expressed as 'less than five' in order to avoid the identification of individuals.

Prison Service: Termination of Employment

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many members of HM Prison Service staff had their appeals against dismissal upheld by the Civil Service Appeals Board in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
	Information in the format requested is only available for the last two years and is shown in the following table. Further information is not collated centrally and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Table: Number of appeals by HM Prison Service staff considered and upheld by the Civil Service Appeal Board in the last two years 
			   Total number of appeals considered  Number upheld 
			 2005-06 46 12 
			 2006-07 56 20

Prisons: Training

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which companies were contracted by his Department to carry out training for  (a) prisoners and  (b) prison staff in each of the last five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested on companies contracted for training both public sector prisoners and public sector prison staff is available in part only. The information is drawn from the contracts register held by the Prison Service National Procurement Unit and a list of current HM Prison Service suppliers is as follows. In addition, Serco, G4S, Kalyx and GSL are contracted by the Home Office to provide private sector custodial places, including the provision of training. Additional information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	 Current Providers of Education Services to Prisoners
	Amersham and Wycombe College
	Blackpool and Flyde College
	CfBT
	City College Manchester
	City College Norwich
	Dudley College
	East Riding College
	Evesham College
	Derby College
	Filton College
	Gwent College
	Highbury College
	Isle of Wight College
	Kent Adult Education
	Kingston Upon Hull
	Lancaster and Morecambe College
	Matthew Boulton College
	Milton Keynes College
	Nescot College
	New College Durham
	Northbrook College
	Reed Learning
	Runshaw College
	Strode College
	Sussex Downs College
	Tamworth and Lichfield College
	Wigan and Leigh College
	 Current Providers of Resettlement Services to Prisoners
	Business in Prisons
	Lincolnshire Action Trust
	Edexcel
	Open University
	Worc. County Council
	Ormiston Trust
	VSC
	Careers Enterprise Ltd.
	Shaw Trust
	Citizens Advice Bureau
	Shelter
	Foundation Training Co. Ltd
	Prof. William Marshall
	BICS Workshop
	Preparation for Work
	YMCA
	De Paul Trust
	St. Mungo's
	NACRO
	Beacon Support Ltd.
	Jim Heaven
	St. Giles Trust
	Braunstone Community Association.
	Radio Feltham
	Revolving Doors
	Enterprise Regeneration Partnership
	The Princes Trust
	SOVA
	Connexions
	New Bridge Foundation
	T3 Associates
	Gamble Rail Training
	Robert J McGrath
	Apex Trust
	Group 4 Falck Global
	Working Links
	Hibiscus
	CSL at Achiles
	OCDA
	Technics
	London Borough of Hounslow Youth
	Spurgeons Child Care
	Building Services Ltd
	Inside Out Trust
	Working Links
	 Current Providers of Drugs Services to Prisoners
	County Durham and Darlington Primary Services
	CRI
	Lifeline Project Ltd.
	The Seagrove Trust
	Inclusion
	Phoenix House
	ADAPT
	Addaction
	Shropshire SMS
	Avon and Wiltshire Partnership
	EDP
	WGCADA
	RAPT
	In-Volve
	 Current Providers of Training to HMPS Staff
	Woodland Grange
	Office of Public Management
	Harrop Associates
	PL
	Charicters
	University of Cambridge
	Centre for High Performance Development
	HB International
	ITAC
	Cannock Chase Technical College
	Leadership Research and Development Ltd
	Reed Training
	Passe Partout
	Highfield Co. Ltd
	Joshua Group
	TSO Consulting Ltd
	Cannock Chase Technical College
	Bray Leino
	ROSPA
	NICEIC Group Ltd
	TDP Development Ltd
	St. John's Ambulance
	Forum UK
	JTL Training
	Creative Forum

Sentencing

Nicholas Clegg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many indefinite sentences of public protection have had a minimum term of  (a) 12 months or less,  (b) two years or less,  (c) five years or less and  (d) 10 years or less.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I have been asked to reply.
	Information on prisoners received into prisons in England and Wales under Indeterminate Sentences for Public Protection (IPP) between April 2005 and March 2006, by length of tariff (minimum term), can be found in the following table. It is also available as Table 11.2 in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin: Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2005, a copy of which can be found in the House of Commons Library.
	
		
			  IPP Tariffs by characteristic of prisoner( 1) :( ) England and Wales 
			   Number of IPPs by length of tariff (months)  Quartiles of length of tariff (months) 
			   1-18  19-36  37-48  49-60  61-120  121 +  Not recorded  Total  Lower quartile  Median  Upper quartile 
			  Total 147 326 107 46 53 4 24 706 21 30 42 
			 Female 9 15 0 2 0 0 0 26 17 24 32 
			 Male 138 311 107 44 53 4 24 680 21 30 42 
			 
			  Total 22% 48% 16% 7% 8% 1% 0% 100% 0 0 0 
			 Female 35% 58% 0% 8% 0% 0% 0% 100% 0 0 0 
			 Male 21% 47% 16% 7% 8% 1% 0% 100% 0 0 0 
			 
			  All ethnic groups 147 326 107 46 53 4 24 707 21 30 42 
			 White 120 250 74 34 40 3 18 539 20 30 42 
			 Mixed 3 10 4 0 0 0 0 17 20 27 17 
			 Asian or Asian British 1 12 7 3 2 0 0 25 31 36 45 
			 Black or Black British 11 36 15 7 9 0 6 84 24 31 48 
			 Chinese or Other 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 
			 Not Stated 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 
			 Unrecorded 11 17 7 2 1 1 0 39 0 0 0 
			 
			  All ethnic groups 22% 48% 16% 7% 8% 1% 0% 100% 0 0 0 
			 White 23% 48% 14% 7% 8% 1% 0% 100% 0 0 0 
			 Mixed 18% 59% 24% 0% 0% 0% 0% 100% 0 0 0 
			 Asian or Asian British 4% 48% 28% 12% 8% 0% 0% 100% 0 0 0 
			 Black or Black British 14% 46% 19% 9% 12% 0% 0% 100% 0 0 0 
			 Chinese or Other 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0 0 0 
			 Not Stated 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0 0 0 
			 Unrecorded 28% 44% 18% 5% 3% 3% 0% 100% 0 0 0 
			 
			  All ages 147 326 107 46 53 4 24 707 21 30 42 
			 15-17 4 14 2 0 0 0 1 21 21 24 30 
			 18-20 31 64 11 4 6 1 1 118 18 24 36 
			 21-24 33 60 16 9 8 1 6 133 18 28 39 
			 25-29 19 57 25 12 10 0 4 127 24 32 48 
			 30-39 34 84 34 11 16 1 7 187 24 32 44 
			 40-49 15 34 14 6 9 1 4 83 21 36 48 
			 50-59 8 8 3 3 4 0 1 27 17 27 56 
			 60+ 2 5 1 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 0 
			 Not recorded 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 
			 
			  All ages 22% 48% 16% 7% 8% 1% 0% 100% 0 0 0 
			 15-17 20% 70% 10% 0% 0% 0% 0% 100% 0 0 0 
			 18-20 26% 55% 9% 3% 5% 1% 0% 100% 0 0 0 
			 21-24 26% 47% 13% 7% 6% 1% 0% 100% 0 0 0 
			 25-29 15% 46% 20% 10% 8% 0% 0% 100% 0 0 0 
			 30-39 19% 47% 19% 6% 9% 1% 0% 100% 0 0 0 
			 40-49 19% 43% 18% 8% 11% 1% 0% 100% 0 0 0 
			 50-59 31% 31% 12% 12% 15% 0% 0% 100% 0 0 0 
			 60+ 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0 0 0 
			 Not recorded 33% 0% 33% 33% 0% 0% 0% 100% 0 0 0 
			 (1) IPP information up to w/c 27 March 2006.  Note: These figures have been drawn from administrative IT systems. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system, and so although shown to the last individual, the figures may not be accurate to that level.

Sri Lanka

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received from the Government of Sri Lanka; and what discussions have taken place following such representations.

Tony McNulty: Any recent representations made by the Government of Sri Lanka would have been made on a confidential basis, and it is the Government's policy to respect that confidentiality.

Tamils

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent representations he has received from Tamil community groups in the United Kingdom; and what discussions have taken place following such representations.

Tony McNulty: Recent representations have been made by members of the British Tamil Forum, who wished to discuss the continued proscription of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), and put the case that it would be in the interests of peace in Sri Lanka if that proscription was lifted. The Terrorism Act 2000 sets out the process by which a proscribed organisation or a person affected by such a proscription can apply for deproscription, and the Home Secretary outlined the process for them.
	Until such time that an organisation is removed from the proscribed list, it is the position of the Government that the organisation remains concerned in terrorism. We would urge all parties involved in the conflict in Sri Lanka to renounce the use of violence as a means to resolve political differences.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Bedfordshire County Council: Pensions

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much central Government funding Bedfordshire County Council received in each year since 1997 towards its pension fund.

Phil Woolas: Apart from a proportion of the indexed sum of £130 million added to the financial settlement for local government since 1998 to mitigate the effect on their pension funds of the abolition of tax relief on dividend income, Bedfordshire county council receives no central Government funding directly for this purpose. The Local Government Pension Scheme is a funded, statutory scheme, with employer, employee and investment income being the main sources of income. Data for the scheme are found on the Department's website at:
	www.local.odpm.gov.uk/finance/stats/pensions.htm

Departments: Energy

John Spellar: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what  (a) instructions are issued to staff in her Department and  (b) technical procedures are in place to shut down computers at night.

Angela Smith: Communities and Local Government and its agencies issue instructions to their staff to shut down computers and other office equipment at night. Staff in HQ buildings are also encouraged to switch off their monitors during the day when they are away from their desks for more than five minutes. These messages are consolidated by posters in working areas and in photocopier rooms. Surveys are regularly conducted to monitor if these instructions are followed.
	Depending on their configuration PCs used by the Department are set up so that the monitor and/or hard disk go into standby, or power down, after a predetermined period of inactivity.
	Some networking equipment needs to run continuously and is shut down only for maintenance.

Energy: Conservation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans she has to take account of the move to low carbon grid electricity in  (a) the building regulations,  (b) the code for sustainable homes and  (c) specifications for electric heating systems.

Angela Smith: Building regulations and the code for sustainable homes set overall energy performance standards expressed in terms of annual carbon emissions. The emission factors for grid electricity used to establish compliance with these standards will be kept under review.
	The energy performance standards are non-prescriptive and electric heating can be used provided the overall standards are met.

Local Government Finance

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate she has made of how much local authority spending was  (a) ring-fenced,  (b) for statutory purposes and  (c) discretionary in each year since 1997.

Phil Woolas: The following table sets out the amount of local authority spending which was funded by ring-fenced grants as recorded in the revenue outturn returns which local authorities send to the Department:
	
		
			   £ billion 
			 1997-98 1.6 
			 1998-99 2.1 
			 1999-2000 2.7 
			 2000-01 3.9 
			 2001-02 5.2 
			 2002-03 6.4 
			 2003-04 8.3 
			 2004-05 7.8 
			 2005-06 7.2 
			  Source: Communities and Local Government Revenue Outturn returns. 
		
	
	The table sets out those ring-fenced grants inside Aggregate External Finance (AEF) (i.e. revenue grants paid for councils' core services). The figures exclude grants outside AEF such as housing benefit subsidy, capital grants, funding for local authorities' housing management responsibilities and those grant programmes (such as European funding) where authorities are simply one of the recipients of funding paid towards an area.
	My right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced in the 2007 Budget that we will set out a clear target to reduce specific grants and ring-fenced funding.
	It is for individual local authorities to determine how much of their spending is required to fulfil their statutory duties and how much is available for discretionary purposes. The Department does not compile information on local authority expenditure in a way which separates out spending on statutory and discretionary purposes.

Local Government: Equal Pay

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps she is taking to ensure that local authorities have equal pay policies for male and female staff.

Phil Woolas: It is for individual local authorities, as employers, to determine pay policies for their staff, subject to the relevant statutory requirements.
	Local authorities set their own pay policies and most place staff on a pay scale which is negotiated at a national level between the unions and local government.
	Like any other employer, local authorities are subject to the provisions of the Equal Pay Act 1970 and the Sex Discrimination Act 1975.
	In setting their pay policies, local authorities must also comply with the Gender Duty, which places a statutory obligation on all public authorities to have due regard to the need to eliminate unlawful sex discrimination and harassment and to promote equality of opportunity between women and men in carrying out their functions.

Members: Correspondence

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Eccles of 26 January 2007 on home inspection arrangements, correspondence reference 2151.

Yvette Cooper: I have now replied to my hon. Friend's correspondence.

Roads: Newcastle upon Tyne

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how much was provided by central Government for the Shields Road regeneration programme in East Newcastle; and whether any payment was made into the redevelopment programme from the planning gain on the land used for the supermarket development at the west end of Shields Road.

Phil Woolas: The Shields Road regeneration programme has received £25 million from the Single Regeneration Budget round 2, and ongoing development support of £147,000 from Neighbourhood Renewal Fund.
	The Secretary of State holds no information about any planning gain arising from the new supermarket in Shields Road, Newcastle upon Tyne. Any such contributions would normally have been an arrangement between Newcastle upon Tyne city council, as local planning authority, and the supermarket developer. The city council would have been required to place a copy of any agreement of this kind on the public planning register, alongside the decision on the application.

Supporting People Programme

Andrew Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what discussions she has had with her colleagues in HM Treasury on the next three-year spending settlement for the supporting people programme.

Phil Woolas: The Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has had and will continue to have wide ranging and regular discussions with the Chancellor and the Chief Secretary about preparations for the 2007 comprehensive spending review.

Supporting People Programme

Andrew Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the measures introduced to deliver greater efficiency savings in the supporting people budget.

Phil Woolas: Councils assess the efficiency gains they have achieved by service sector, including supporting people, which they report to the Department through their annual efficiency statements.

Valuation Office

Michael Gove: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if she will place in the Library a copy of the Communications Action Plan produced by the Valuation Office Agency for the 2005 non-domestic rates revaluation.

Phil Woolas: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the VOA website at:
	www.voa.gov.uk
	I have placed in the Library a copy of the Valuation Office Agency's Communications Plan relating to the 2005 revaluation for non-domestic rates.

Wiltshire County Council: Pensions

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the current pension fund deficit is of  (a) Wiltshire county council and  (b) Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.

Phil Woolas: Wiltshire county council is the responsible local government pension scheme administering authority for its pension fund and for complying with the solvency requirements of the Local Government Pension Scheme Regulations 1997. Information on its current funding is not held centrally.
	Pensions for operational firefighters employed by the Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service are provided on a pay-as-you-go basis and, as such, no actual pension fund arrangement exists.

TREASURY

Alcoholic Drinks: Death

James Duddridge: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many alcohol-related deaths there were in  (a) Southend,  (b) Essex,  (c) England and  (d) the United Kingdom in each year since 1997.

John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	 Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 14 May 2007:
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many alcohol-related deaths there were in  (a) Southend,  (b) Essex,  (c) England and  (d) the United Kingdom in each year since 1997. (136777)
	The table attached provides the number of deaths with an alcohol-related underlying cause in  (a) Southend-on-Sea unitary authority,  (b) Essex county,  (c) England and  (d) the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2005 (the latest year available).
	So that comparison over time is for consistent areas, deaths in Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock unitary authorities, which were part of the former County of Essex, have not been included in the figures for Essex for any year.
	
		
			  Table 1: Number of deaths with an alcohol-related underlying cause of death( 1) , Southend-on-Sea unitary authority, Essex county, England and the United Kingdom( 2) , 1997 to 2005( 3) 
			  Deaths (persons) 
			   1997  1998  1999  2000  2001  2002  2003  2004  2005 
			 Southend-on-Sea 16 16 12 18 19 19 25 24 19 
			 Essex 83 96 89 95 104 95 107 109 115 
			 England 4,437 4,762 4,935 5,044 5,476 5,582 5,981 6,036 6,191 
			 United Kingdom 5,976 6,369 6,721 6,884 7,499 7,701 8,164 8,221 8,386 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) for the years 1996 to 2000, and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) for 2001 onwards. The specific causes of death categorised as alcohol-related, and their corresponding ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes, are shown in the following boxes. (2) Based on local authority boundaries as of 2007. (3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year. 
		
	
	
		
			  Box 1. Alcohol-related causes of death —  International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) 
			  Cause of death  ICD-9 code(s) 
			 Alcoholic psychoses 291 
			 Alcohol dependence syndrome 303 
			 Non-dependent abuse of alcohol 305.0 
			 Alcoholic cardiomyopathy 425.5 
			 Alcoholic fatty liver 571.0 
			 Acute alcoholic hepatitis 571.1 
			 Alcoholic cirrhosis of liver 571.2 
			 Alcoholic liver damage, unspecified 571.3 
			 Chronic hepatitis 571.4 
			 Cirrhosis of liver without mention of alcohol 571.5 
			 Other chronic non-alcoholic liver disease 571.8 
			 Unspecified chronic liver disease without mention of alcohol 571.9 
			 Accidental poisoning by alcohol E860 
		
	
	
		
			  Box 2. Alcohol-related causes of death - International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) 
			  Cause of death  ICD-10 code(s) 
			 Mental and behavioural disorders due to use of alcohol F10 
			 Degeneration of nervous system due to alcohol G31.2 
			 Alcoholic polyneuropathy G62.1 
			 Alcoholic cardiomyopathy I42.6 
			 Alcoholic gastritis K29.2 
			 Alcoholic liver disease K70 
			 Chronic hepatitis, not elsewhere classified K73 
			 Fibrosis and cirrhosis of liver (excl. Biliary cirrhosis) K74 (excl. K74.3-K74.5) 
			 Alcohol induced chronic pancreatitis K86.0 
			 Accidental poisoning by and exposure to alcohol X45 
			 Intentional self-poisoning by and exposure to alcohol X65 
			 Poisoning by and exposure to alcohol, undetermined intent Y15

Departments: Secondment

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 17 April 2007,  Official Report, column 626W, on Departments: secondment, what policy areas the secondee from Sunderland Teaching primary care trust covered within the Treasury's health team during his time at the Treasury.

Stephen Timms: HM Treasury does not comment on the work programmes of individual members of staff.

Inheritance Tax

Theresa May: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what advice he received from  (a) Treasury officials and  (b) HM Revenue and Customs officials before his decision to change the inheritance tax treatment of (i) accumulation and maintenance trusts and (ii) interest in possession trusts in the Finance Act 2006.

Edward Balls: This Government, as with previous administrations, does not release advice to Ministers as to do so would prejudice candid and frank discussion.

Members: Correspondence

Graham Stringer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects to reply to the letters from the hon. Member for Manchester, Blackley of 7th February and 13th March.

John Healey: I have replied to my hon. Friend.

Personal Income

David Willetts: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the median equivalised  (a) net and  (b) gross household income was for households where the household reference person was aged (i) 16 to 20, (ii) 21 to 25, (iii) 25 to 30, (iv) 30 to 40, (v) 40 to 50, (vi) 50 to 60, (vii) 60 to 65, (viii) 65 to 75, (ix) 75 to 85 and (x) over 85 in (A) 1997, (B) 2004-05 and (C) in the last period for which figures are available.

Jim Murphy: I have been asked to reply.
	The available information is in the following tables.
	The age-bands requested are not mutually exclusive so they have been adjusted slightly in order to make them so.
	
		
			  Table 1: Median equivalised net household income (£ per week) by age-band of household reference person. 
			  Age-band of household reference person  1996-97  2004-05 
			 16 to 20 242 325 
			 21 to 25 266 367 
			 26 to 30 261 362 
			 31 to 40 258 351 
			 41 to 50 294 376 
			 51 to 60 301 400 
			 61 to 65 239 327 
			 66 to 75 210 291 
			 76 to 85 184 272 
			 over 85 188 272 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Median equivalised gross household income (£ per week): by age-band of household reference person. 
			  Age-band of household reference person  1996-97  2004-05 
			 16 to 20 277 389 
			 21 to 25 319 471 
			 26 to 30 320 473 
			 31 to 40 322 463 
			 41 to 50 376 511 
			 51 to 60 377 540 
			 61 to 65 270 396 
			 66 to 75 222 328 
			 76 to 85 189 301 
			 over 85 194 303 
			  Notes: 1. The information is based on OECD equalisation factors and therefore it will not be the same as any figures previously published that were based on McClement's equivalisation factors. 2. The per week values are in the prices for that particular year.  Source:  Family Resources Survey

Taxation: Diplomatic Missions

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer which diplomatic missions to the United Kingdom remit income tax, or monies in lieu of income tax, to the Inland Revenue or Exchequer in respect of locally engaged staff who are  (a) UK citizens and  (b) other nationals who are (i) EU citizens and (ii) non-EU citizens; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Balls: holding answer 10 May 2007
	Some diplomatic missions voluntarily operate the "Pay As You Earn" scheme on the salaries of their locally engaged staff. The operation of the UK's Double Taxation Agreements and UK domestic law dealing with official agents of foreign governments may exempt certain staff who are not nationals of the UK. Details of the missions which operate PAYE cannot be disclosed for reasons of taxpayer confidentiality.

Tax Credits

Mark Francois: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how much HM Revenue and Customs spent in 2006-07 on advertising aimed at increasing the take-up rate of tax credits;
	(2)  what plans he has to improve the take-up rate of tax credits.

Stephen Timms: Around six million families and nearly 10 million children are currently benefiting from tax credits. Take-up is higher than any previous system of income-related financial support for in-work families.
	In 2006-07, HM Revenue and Customs spent £5.37 million(1) on advertising and marketing for tax credits to ensure that claimants understood the system and encourage all eligible families to claim. This included £250,000(1) specifically aimed at targeting new mothers, ethnic minority communities and those eligible for working tax credit. HMRC will continue to run advertising and marketing, targeting new mothers and ethnic minority communities.
	The Government are committed to increasing take-up among people entitled to working tax credit only. It has run a pilot exercise in some areas to test ways of improving take-up of working tax credit among people without children; and following this, also plans to run regional marketing activity to encourage take-up of working tax credit. HMRC will do more to encourage new claims from this group, drawing on the lessons from these pilots on the most effective approaches.
	Regular national advertising on Renewals and Changes in Circumstance also serve to maintain general awareness of tax credits.
	(1) Quoted figures cover media spend, excluding VAT.

VAT: National Lottery Projects

James Gray: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what consideration he has given to the VAT treatment of  (a) the Cricklands County Way and  (b) other Big Lottery Living Landmarks projects.

John Healey: The general position is that the receipt of lottery grants will normally be outside the scope of VAT as they are generally not payment for any supplies.
	Purchases made using grant income will be subject to the normal rules of VAT. VAT incurred on purchases made with grant income can be recovered through the VAT system to the extent that it relates to the grantee's taxable business activities. VAT cannot usually be recovered on purchases related to an organisation's exempt supplies or non-business activities. Applicants for lottery funding should always consider irrecoverable VAT when making their bids.
	Section 18 of the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005 does not permit HM Revenue and Customs to disclose information relating to the tax affairs of individual taxpayers.

VAT: Voluntary Aided Schools

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will review the policy which determines that voluntary-aided schools subject to charitable status are required to pay 17.5 per cent. VAT on new school buildings.

John Healey: VAT is not chargeable on the construction of new school buildings for voluntary aided schools with charitable status, provided that these buildings will be used at least 90 per cent. for a relevant charitable purpose, such as free education.
	EU agreements governing the application of reliefs from VAT mean that while we can retain the VAT zero rate for the construction of charity buildings as it currently stands, we cannot extend its scope, or introduce any new VAT zero rates.

HEALTH

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will bring forward legislation to require a woman considering an abortion to see an ultrasound of her unborn child beforehand; what recent representations she has received on the issue; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: It is accepted parliamentary practice that proposals for changes in the law on abortion have come from Back-Bench Members and that decisions are made on the basis of free votes. The Government have no plans to change the law on abortion.
	The guideline "The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion" issued by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (2004) recommends that when ultrasound scanning is undertaken, it should be done in a setting and manner sensitive to the woman's situation. For most abortions, when scanning is undertaken, the screen is turned away and the vast majority of women do not request to see the image.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations she has received on the Termination of Pregnancy Bill; how many such representations  (a) supported and  (b) opposed the Bill; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: We contacted a range of Government Departments and stakeholders to get the best possible understanding of the implications of the Termination of Pregnancy Bill to draw up a Regulatory Impact Assessment. We did not specifically ask these organisations (or individuals representing them) whether they supported or opposed the proposed legislation. The consultation was solely to obtain views on the outcomes that were considered most likely to occur in the event of introducing the legislation proposed in the Bill.
	A list of those consulted (through written feedback and/or through personal interviews) is as follows:
	 Government Departments
	Department of Health
	Department for Education and Skills
	Department for Constitutional Affairs
	Department for Work and Pensions
	Scottish Executive
	Office for National Statistics
	 Professional bodies and other stakeholders
	British Medical Association
	Nursing and Midwifery Council
	Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
	Royal College of Nursing
	Independent Advisory Group on Sexual Health and HIV
	British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
	Confidential Enquiry into maternal and Child Health
	British Pregnancy Advisory Service
	Brook
	Family Planning Association
	Fraterdrive Limited
	LIFE
	Marie Stopes International
	Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child
	University of Southampton
	Information Services Division, NHS National Services Scotland

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to publish the annual abortion statistics 2006; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The annual 2006 abortion statistics will be published by the Department in June 2007. Provisional abortion data for January to September 2006 are available in the Office for National Statistics publication Health Statistics Quarterly 33, copies of which are available in the Library.

Abortion

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions her Department has had with West Midlands Perinatal Institute on its recent study of the abortion of foetuses on grounds of disability; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Department has not had any discussions with West Midlands Perinatal Institute on its recent study on abortions for foetal abnormality.
	We are aware that some babies are born showing signs of life following an abortion for foetal abnormality. The management of these cases rests with the clinical team involved, taking into account all the relevant factors and circumstances. The British Medical Association, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) and the British Association of Perinatal Medicine have issued guidance to clinicians on this sensitive issue.
	While there continues to be medical advances in caring for premature babies, it is very rare for babies born at 22 weeks gestation or under to survive. The RCOG recommends that for all terminations at gestational age of more than 21 weeks and six days, the method chosen should ensure that the foetus is born dead.
	The guidance goes on to say that where the patient chooses not to have feticide in the presence of a lethal abnormality, discussion must take place within the appropriate team, and the patient's wishes and agreement sought on the management of the foetus after birth.

Accident and Emergency Departments

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance her Department issues to primary care trusts and strategic health authorities on the  (a) minimum and  (b) maximum catchment population for each accident and emergency department when planning the reconfiguration of services.

Andy Burnham: It is a matter for the local national health service to ensure that there is appropriate provision of urgent and emergency services that are responsive to people's needs.

Alcoholic Drinks: Consumption

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate she has made of the proportion of  (a) men and  (b) women who drink more than the recommended weekly amounts of alcohol; and what assessment she has made of trends in alcohol consumption since 1992.

Caroline Flint: In 2005, 24 per cent. of men and 13 per cent. of women drank more than 21 units and 14 units respectively each week.
	The table show average weekly alcohol consumption between 1992 and 2005. During the 1990s and up to 2001, the data show an increase in average weekly consumption; the figure for 2005 shows a reduction.
	It is important to note that as a result of an inter-departmental review (Sensible Drinking; Department of Health 1995) Government advice on sensible drinking was changed from a weekly to a daily benchmark. This was to recognise the dangers of excessive drinking in a single session. Data on maximum daily amount drunk last week have only been collected by the General Household Survey from 1998 onwards and therefore trend information back to 1992 is not available on that measure.
	
		
			  Persons aged 16 and over, average weekly alcohol consumption by units 
			   Unweighted  Weighted   
			   1992  1994  1996  1998  1998  2000  2001  2002  2005  Weighted base 2005 (000's) = 100 per cent.  Unweighted sample 2005 
			 Total 10.2 10.0 10.7 11.0 11.5 12.0 12.1 12.1 10.8 41,744 19,956 
			  Note:  In 2000, the decision was made to weight the data to compensate for under-representation of people in some groups. This table shows weighted and unweighted data for 1998 to give an indication of the effect of weighting. Caution should be exercised when comparing weighted and unweighted data.  Source:  General Household Survey 2005, Smoking and Drinking Among Adults; Office for National Statistics

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

James Duddridge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the 2004 Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy since the introduction of extended licensing hours.

Caroline Flint: The Licensing Act 2003 came into force on 24 November 2005 and introduced a number of measures including removing the fixed closing hours which contributed to large concentrations of customers, provoking disorder and nuisance. Evaluation of the Act formed part of the Government's Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy, which is currently being reviewed. We will be publishing a renewed strategy shortly.

Ambulance Services: West Midlands

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Health by what mechanism and to what extent public opinion has been taken into account in the review of ambulance control rooms by the West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust.

Andy Burnham: Section 242 of the National Health Service Act 2006 requires NHS organisations, including ambulance trusts, to involve and consult patients and the public in the planning of services, in developments of proposals for changes in services, and in decisions affecting the operation of services. In addition, the Department issued policy and practice guidance to the NHS in respect of this matter in 2003 and we would expect this to be adhered to.
	It is for the NHS locally to determine whether or not a particular issue constitutes a service change. NHS West Midlands reports that the West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust has decided to undertake a public consultation in relation to its review of control rooms. However, the details of this consultation have yet to be determined.

Antibiotics

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of courses of antibiotics that were prescribed in England in each of the last 30 years.

Caroline Flint: Data held by the Department only readily identify antibiotic prescription items dispensed in the community, more than one of which could constitute a course of treatment. A full 30 years of community prescribing data are not available, only from 1980 onwards:
	
		
			  Prescription items dispensed in the community in England 
			   M illion 
			 1980 32.8 
			 1981 31.3 
			 1982 34.7 
			 1983 34.0 
			 1984 34.7 
			 1985 37.9 
			 1986 37.0 
			 1987 37.9 
			 1988 39.8 
			 1989 39.4 
			 1990 39.7 
			 1991 43.7 
			 1992 43.4 
			 1993 47.7 
			 1994 45.8 
			 1995 49.4 
			 1996 46.6 
			 1997 46.4 
			 1998 42.6 
			 1999 38.6 
			 2000 36.9 
			 2001 37.9 
			 2002 37.0 
			 2003 37.6 
			 2004 36.5 
			 2005 37.2 
			  Note: Data from 1980 to 1990 are only partial and not consistent with data from 1991 onwards. Figures up to 1990 are based on fees and a sample of one in 200 prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacists and appliance contractors. Figures for 1991 onwards are based on items and cover all prescriptions dispensed by community pharmacists, appliance contractors dispensing doctors and prescriptions submitted by prescribing doctors for items personally administered.

Avian Influenza

Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 20 April 2007,  Official Report, column 805W, on avian influenza, what information her Department holds on the percentage fatality rates for the pandemic influenza outbreaks of  (a) 1918-19 (H1N1),  (b) 1957 (N2N2) and  (c) 1968 (H3N2).

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 10 May 2007
	Contemporary Ministry of Health estimates of deaths were as detailed in the table. These should be taken as indicative only. In particular, it is difficult to establish case fatality rates with certainty as many cases of influenza would not have been recorded.
	
		
			   Deaths (England and Wales)  Mortality rate (rounded) ( percentage )  Case fatality rate (rounded estimate) ( percentage ) 
			 1918-19 200,000 0.5 2 
			 1957 30,000 0.06 0.2 
			 1968-69 80,000 0.15 0.4

Blood

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much her Department spent on BPL Elstree in  (a) 1977,  (b) 1978 and  (c) 1979; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how much her Department spent on the Lister Institute's  (a) Chelsea and  (b) Elstree laboratories in (i) 1980, (ii) 1981, (iii) 1982, (iv) 1983 and (v) 1984; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  how much her Department spent on the Lister Institute's  (a) Chelsea and  (b) Elstree laboratories in each year since 1977; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: This information can be provided only at a disproportionate cost.

Blood

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much her Department spent on the production of blood products in the UK for use by haemophiliacs in  (a) 1977,  (b) 1978 and  (c) 1979; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how much her Department spent on the production of blood products in the UK for use by haemophiliacs in  (a) 1980,  (b) 1981,  (c) 1982,  (d) 1983 and  (e) 1984; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  how much her Department spent on increasing blood donations at regional transfusion centres in  (a) 1985,  (b) 1986,  (c) 1987,  (d) 1988 and  (e) 1989; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  how much her Department spent on increasing blood donations at regional transfusion centres in  (a) 1977,  (b) 1978 and  (c) 1979; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: This information can be provided only at a disproportionate cost However, in 1975 up to £500,000 (about half of which would be recurring) was allocated to Regional Transfusion Centres to increase plasma supplies to Blood Products Laboratory. This funding was allocated to enable the United Kingdom to achieve self sufficiency in blood products. Further information is available in the report "Self Sufficient in Blood Products in England and Wales" which is available in the Library. The supporting references to the report are in the public domain.

Blood

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how much her Department spent on imported blood products from the US in  (a) 1977,  (b) 1978 and  (c) 1979; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what volume of factor VIII blood product was imported from the US into the UK in  (a) 1977,  (b) 1978 and  (c) 1979; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  what volume of UK-sourced blood was fractionated to develop blood products for use by haemophiliacs in  (a) 1980,  (b) 1981,  (c) 1982,  (d) 1983 and  (e) 1984; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  what volume of cryoprecipitate was available for use in the NHS in  (a) 1980,  (b) 1981,  (c) 1982,  (d) 1983 and  (e) 1984; and if she will make a statement;
	(5)  how much and what proportion of blood products given to haemophiliacs in  (a) 1985,  (b) 1986,  (c) 1987,  (d) 1988 and  (e) 1989 was sourced from the US; and if she will make a statement;
	(6)  how much and what proportion of blood products given to haemophiliacs in  (a) 1980,  (b) 1981,  (c) 1982, (d) 1983 and  (e) 1984 was sourced from UK donors; and if she will make a statement;
	(7)  how much her Department spent on imported blood products from the US in  (a) 1985,  (b) 1986,  (c) 1987,  (d) 1988 and  (e) 1989; and if she will make a statement;
	(8)  what volume of factor VIII blood product was imported from the US into the UK in  (a) 1985,  (b) 1986,  (c) 1987,  (d) 1988 and  (e) 1989; and if she will make a statement;
	(9)  what volume and proportion of blood products given to haemophiliacs in  (a) 1977,  (b) 1978 and  (c) 1979 were sourced from USA donors; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: During the 1970s and 1980s the Department did not purchase imported blood products. At the time, Blood Products Laboratory (BPL) made plasma products from plasma collected from British blood donors. From 1999 BPL has obtained plasma from the United States as a precautionary measure against vCJD transmission by United Kingdom plasma. All US plasma collection centres are highly regulated and conform to a strict code of practice.
	Clinicians have been able to directly procure blood products from other sources and data on their use is not collected centrally. However, the report "Self Sufficiency in Blood Products in England and Wales" contains information on the annual consumption of factor VIII in the UK (table two) for the years 1969-1987. In addition, further information on the consumption of both the BPL and commercial blood products is contained in two articles "Treatment of Haemophilia in the United Kingdom 1981-1996", by Rizza CR et al Haemophilia (2001) 7, 349-359; and "Treatment of haemophilia in related disorders in Britain and Northern Ireland during 1976-80", by Rizza CR et al British Medical Journal (286) 1983. Copies of these articles have been placed in the Library.

Blood

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the Government's policy is on self sufficiency in blood products; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: We are not self sufficient in plasma products. Bio Products Laboratory (BPL) produces a range of plasma products for the national health service and customers abroad. BPL operates in a competitive market, and the NHS has always been able to source plasma products from a range of suppliers. Recombinant clotting products are now available for the treatment of haemophilia patients.BPL originally made plasma products from plasma collected from British blood donors. From 1999 BPL has obtained plasma from the United States as a precautionary measure against variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease transmission by United Kingdom plasma. All US plasma collection centres are highly regulated and conform to a strict code of practice.

Blood: Contamination

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  many patients were given blood contaminated with  (a) HIV and  (b) hepatitis C while being treated by the NHS in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what steps are being taken by her Department to prevent contaminated blood reaching patients in the NHS.

Caroline Flint: The National Blood Service (NBS) is aware of one case of HIV transmission to a blood recipient since 1997. There have been no documented cases of transmission of hepatitis C through blood collected by the NBS since 1997.
	All blood provided for blood transfusion is screened for evidence of infection with HIV, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, human T cell lymphotropic virus and Syphilis before being released for issue to hospitals. In addition, the NBS has put in place a number of precautionary measures against the risk vCJD, such as excluding people who have received blood transfusion from donating blood.

Blood: Contamination

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many requests her Department has received for original copies of legal waivers signed by haemophiliacs undertaking not to take legal action against the Department or any other public body in respect of infection with HIV or hepatitis viruses as a result of infected blood products; how many such documents the Department has provided following those requests; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: In the period April 2006 to March 2007 the Department received three requests for copies of waivers signed by haemophiliacs infected with HIV through blood products. The Department has been unable to satisfy these requests. There is no requirement for such waivers in relation to infection with hepatitis.

Blood: Contamination

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many haemophiliacs infected with HIV or hepatitis C or both via contaminated blood products received compensation from out of court settlements in  (a) 1989 and  (b) 1991; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: This information is not available in the form requested. Most of the registrants of the Macfarlane Trust are haemophiliacs infected with HIV. There is also a smaller number of their infected intimates, and some female carriers who were infected with Von Willebrands disease.
	On 31 March 1989 there were 700 registrants of the Trust and on 31 March 1991 there were 970 registrants.
	There were no out of court settlements for the period concerned in relation to infection with hepatitis C.

Blood: Contamination

Jennifer Willott: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many legal waivers were recorded by her Department as being signed by haemophiliacs undertaking not to take legal action against the Department or any other public body in respect of infection with HIV or hepatitis viruses as a result of the use of infected blood products; how many original copies of such documents the Department holds; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: All new registrants of the Macfarlane Trust are routinely required to sign a Deed of Undertaking at the time of their registration, which indemnifies the Government against any further litigation.
	The Department currently hold 90 original waivers. A number of signed waivers, going back to 1989, were inadvertently destroyed with the files in which they were held. There is no requirement for such waivers in relation to infection with hepatitis.

Blood: Contamination

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assistance her Department  (a) has given and  (b) expects to give to the independent public inquiry into the supply of contaminated NHS blood to haemophilia patients.

Caroline Flint: Officials met with members of the inquiry team on 25 April 2007 to discuss what information the Department may be able to provide to the inquiry. It was agreed that officials would provide a copy of a report, "Review of Documentation Relating to the Safety of Blood Products 1970-1985", which is due to be issued shortly and will be placed in the Library. Officials also agreed to provide some additional information regarding the chronology of certain events.

Blood: Contamination

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the overall cost to the public purse of providing ex gratia payments to the relatives of those who died before 2003 as a result of infection with blood products contaminated with hepatitis C.

Caroline Flint: The Skipton Fund was established in 2004, to administer the ex-gratia payment scheme for people infected with hepatitis C following national health service treatment with blood or blood products. It has no commitment to make payments to the relatives of those infected.

Campylobacter

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of  Campylobacter tests.

Caroline Flint: The  Campylobacter detection methods used by official food testing laboratories are to either national or international standards.  Campylobacter detection methods used by the Food Standards Agency's contractors in its surveys are also to national or international standards. These methods are fit for purpose to compare against requirements of food regulations and guidelines.

Campylobacter

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what reports she has received on identifications of  (a) Helicobacter pullorum and  (b) other unusual Campylobacter-like isolates from poultry products.

Caroline Flint: There have been no reports received on identifications of unusual Campylobacter like isolates or Helicobacter pullorum from poultry products in the United Kingdom.

Casualty Plus

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funds from  (a) her Department's central budget and  (b) the NHS were provided to Casualty Plus Ltd. in the last two years; and what the (i) date and (ii) purpose was of each payment.

Andy Burnham: The Department has not made any payments to Casualty Plus Ltd in the last two years. Information on payments made by the national health service is not held centrally.

Childbirth: Research

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how the funding figure of £3.7 million allocated in the past year for medical research into preventing premature birth was decided;
	(2)  what factors will be taken into account in determining the level of future funding for medical research into preventing premature birth.

Caroline Flint: The estimate of expenditure on research into premature birth is the total cost in 2004-05 of relevant national research programme activity funded by the Department and the Medical Research Council (MRC) projects. It does not include expenditure from the research and development allocations made in that year to research active organisations in the national health service. That information is not held centrally.
	Neither the Department nor the MRC ring fence funds for expenditure on particular topic areas. Both organisations welcome applications for support into any aspect of human health and these are subject to peer review and judged in open competition. Implementation of the Department's research strategy "Best Research for Best Health" is introducing significant new funding opportunities through expansion in the number and size of our national research programmes.

Childbirth: Research

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations she has received from Action Medical Research on concerns regarding the funding of medical research on premature birth; and what steps she is taking to address those concerns.

Caroline Flint: The chief executive of Action Medical Research wrote to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State on 21 December 2006 enclosing a petition calling for an increase in the public funding of research into premature birth. My noble Friend the Minister of State, Lord Hunt, replied on 29 January 2007.

Chlamydia Infection: Screening

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the long-term impact on  (a) health and  (b) fertility of not reaching the target for the number of young people to be screened for chlamydia in 2006-07;
	(2)  what estimate she made of the  (a) cost and  (b) future cost to the NHS of fertility treatment made necessary by the consequences of chlamydia infection.

Caroline Flint: The Chief Medical Officer's (CMO's) expert Advisory Group on "chlamydia trachomatis" was set up in November 1996 to advise on the issues associated with screening for genital chlamydial infection. Its report, published in 1998, concluded that screening and effective management of chlamydial infection would result in considerable health benefit. The annual cost of chlamydia and its consequences in the United Kingdom is estimated to be more than £100 million. We are not aware of any updates on this estimate.
	As a result of the findings in this report a phased multi-faceted opportunistic strategy began in England in April 2003. Mathematical modelling has since confirmed the effectiveness of this approach. Other countries which introduced screening activities before England have seen reductions in both the prevalence of chlamydia and its complications (pelvic infection rates and ectopic pregnancies) highlighting the huge potential of the national chlamydia screening programme on the sexual health of young people.
	No target has been set for chlamydia screening in 2006-07. For the first time a local delivery plan target has been introduced for 2007-08. Strategic health authorities have submitted plans to screen at least 15 per cent. of their population aged 15-24 by March 2008.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: Medical Treatments

David Lepper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the likely effects of implementation of the draft guidance produced by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on the effective treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome; and what representations she has received on the draft guidance.

Caroline Flint: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently working to produce clinical guidance on chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME). It is expected that this guidance will be published in August 2007. It would be inappropriate to make an assessment on the effect of implementation until the guidance is finalised.
	The Department frequently receives representations from individuals and groups with an interest in CFS/ME. As the Department is not responsible for the content of the clinical guidance, correspondents mentioning the guidance are made aware of the consultation process organised by NICE.

Contraceptives: Young People

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there is a legal requirement on pharmacists to sell emergency hormonal contraception on request to patients under the age of 16 years on request; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: There is no legal requirement on pharmacists to sell emergency hormonal contraception (EHC) to women under 16 years of age. It is only licensed as a pharmacy medicine for women aged 16 and over.
	However, women under 16 can obtain EHC through a prescription written by a qualified prescriber. It can also be supplied through a patient group direction to women under 16 years of age provided this is specified in a patient group direction, signed off by a senior doctor and pharmacist.

Cystic Fibrosis

Janet Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made with consideration of the application made to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on 29 January 2003 by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust for a clinical guideline for the care of cystic fibrosis.

Caroline Flint: The proposal by the Cystic Fibrosis Trust for a clinical guideline for the care of cystic fibrosis was considered as part of the topic selection process for the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) 12th wave work programme. As a result of that consideration, Departmental Ministers, who make final decisions on the referral of clinical guideline topics to NICE, concluded that it was not appropriate to refer the topic to NICE at that time.

Dental Health: Children

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the number of children under five with tooth decay in England in each year between 1997 and 2005.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 8 May 2007
	The only comparative information available is from reports of the decennial Child Dental Health Surveys, which showed a decline in the percentage of children aged five with obvious dental decay from 43 per cent. in 1993 to 41 per cent. in 2003 England.

Dental Services

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of  (a) adults and  (b) children were registered with an NHS dentist in (i) City of York council area, (ii) North Yorkshire, (iii) Yorkshire and the Humber and (iv) England in (A) April 2007 and (B) at the same date in each of the last 10 years.

Rosie Winterton: Numbers of patients registered, by adult and child, in England, at strategic health authority (SHA) and primary care trust (PCT) level, as at 31 March 1997 to 2006 are available in annex A of "NHS Dental Activity and Workforce Report, England: 31 March 2006". Information is based on the old contractual arrangements.
	This report has been placed in the Library. The report, published by the Information Centre for health and social care, is also available online at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-activity-and-workforce-report-england-31-march-2006
	Information on patients registered as a proportion of the population is available in annex B of the above report. England information is available for 1997 to 2006. SHA and PCT information is only available for 2001 to 2006.
	Under the new NHS dental contractual arrangements, patients no longer have to register with a practice to receive NHS dental services. Information is instead collected on the number of patients seen in the previous 24 months.
	Numbers of patients seen, by adult and child, in the 24 months ending 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December 2006, at SHA and PCT level, are available in section F1 of annex 3 of "NHS Dental Statistics for England Q3: 31 December 2006".
	This report has been placed in the Library. The report, published by the Information Centre for health and social care, is also available online at:
	www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/primary-care/dentistry/nhs-dental-statistics-for-england-q3:-31-december-2006
	Numbers of patients seen as a proportion of the population, by adult and child, in the 24 months ending 31 March, 30 June, 30 September and 31 December 2006 in England, by PCT and SHA, are available in section F2 of the above report.

Dental Services

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentists  (a) started and  (b) stopped taking new NHS clients in (i) rural and (ii) urban areas in each year since 1997; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the number of dentists who have started or stopped taking new national health service patients since 1997 is not available.
	Information is held on the total numbers of dentists providing NHS primary dental care in each year since 1997. This is given in the following table. The dental reforms introduced in April 2006 enable primary care trusts for the first time to agree the annual levels of patient care that local dental practices will provide and to develop services to reflect local needs and priorities.
	
		
			  General dental services (GDS) and personal dental services (PDS): numbers of GDS and PDS dentists in England, as at 31 March each year 
			   Number 
			 1997 16,470 
			 1998 16,932 
			 1999 17,475 
			 2000 17,988 
			 2001 18,353 
			 2002 18,657 
			 2003 18,801 
			 2004 19,026 
			 2005 19,797 
			 2006 21,111 
			  Sources: The Information Centre for health and social care NHS Business Services Authority

Dental Services: Yorkshire and Humberside

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many dentist surgeries in East Yorkshire Primary Care Trust area have accepted new  (a) NHS fee paying patients and  (b) children aged 0 to 18 years for NHS treatment since 1 September 2006.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.

Departments: Consultants

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent on management consultancy services by her Department in each year since 1997-98.

Ivan Lewis: Departmental expenditure on external consultancy services is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Financial year  £000 
			 1997-98 11,911 
			 1998-99 6,179 
			 1999-2000 8,726 
			 2000-01 6,859 
			 2001-02 7,056 
			 2002-03 7,266 
			 2003-04 10,036 
			 2004-05 12,800 
			 2005-06 (1)6,000 
			 2006-07 (2)6,532 
			 (1) The 2005-06 and 2006-07 spend is lower because the Department rectified some miscoding against the expenditure category codes to provide a more accurate figure of external consultancy spend. (2) Spend up to end of February 2007.

Departments: Managed Service Companies

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has made an estimate of the cost to  (a) her Department and its executive agencies and  (b) the NHS of the proposed changes in the Finance Bill 2007 for tackling the risk posed to the Exchequer of the operational practices of managed service companies.

Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on 20 April 2007,  Official Report, column 863W.

Departments: Public Expenditure

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the size is of each of the contingency funds described in paragraph 4.13 of her Department's 2007-08 business plan, published on 30 March.

Andy Burnham: Details of the size of the contingency funds are shown in the table in chapter 4 of the Department's 2007-08 business plan. The contingency for administration budgets is £3.5 million, and for the Department's central programme budgets is £187.104 million.

Dietary Supplements: Channel Islands

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what powers she has to tackle the marketing in the UK by post from the Channel Islands of illegal food supplements and herbal remedies; and what steps she plans to take;
	(2)  when officials from the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency last met with representatives of the UK food supplements and herbal remedies sector to discuss the marketing of illegal products and unsubstantiated health claims from the Channel Islands; and whether further meetings are scheduled;
	(3)  what procedures are followed by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency in circumstances of complaints on the marketing of food supplements and herbal remedies from  (a) Jersey and  (b) Guernsey;
	(4)  if she will meet representatives of the UK food supplements and herbal remedies sector to discuss the marketing of illegal products and the use of illegal health claims from the Channel Islands.

Caroline Flint: There are no specific powers in the Postal Services Act (2000) or in the medicines legislation administered by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), an Executive agency of the Department to control direct mail advertising from the Channel Islands. The legislation administered by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency does not apply to the Channel Islands. Advertisements issued from within the Islands would be the responsibility of the relevant authorities within those Islands.
	The MHRA's medicines borderline section met representatives from relevant United Kingdom trade associations on 6 March 2007 for the quarterly code administrators meeting. Issues relating to the Channel Islands were discussed at that meeting. The next code administrators meeting is scheduled for 6 June 2007.
	When looking at referrals the medicines borderline section firstly assesses it to see if there is any risk to public safety from the products. Cases where a risk is perceived are given a high priority. If a UK company or address is identified, action is taken to ensure compliance with legislation, this can be by way of dialogue or statutory process. If no UK company is involved any suspected illegal activity is referred to the relevant authority in the Channel Islands for investigation.
	There are no plans for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, to meet with representatives of the UK food supplements and herbal remedies sector at this time.

Diphtheria: Vaccination

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the diphtheria-tetanus vaccine was routinely available between 1982 and 1984.

Caroline Flint: Diphtheria Tetanus vaccine was routinely available between 1982 and 1984.

Disease Control

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of EU Regulations 852/2004 and 853/2004 and the hazard analysis critical control point regime in preventing the spread of  (a) avian influenza and  (b) other diseases; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that EU Regulation 852/2004 contains requirements which, if adhered to, contribute to reducing the risk of the spread of animal disease from food waste. The requirement to apply HACCP principles is designed to manage food safety hazards and is not an animal health control. The bulk of controls designed to reduce the spread of animal disease from animal waste and by-products is contained in EU Regulation 1774/2002 executed and enforced by the Animal By-Products Regulations 2005 and corresponding legislation in the devolved administrations.

Disease Control

Christopher Huhne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the scope within Regulation 852/2004, Regulation 853/2004 and the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point regime for the use of the visual evidence given by inspectors to inform potential prosecutions for biosecurity lapses; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that EU Regulation 852/2004 requires adequate provision to be made for the storage and disposal of food waste, non-edible by-products and other refuse and for refuse stores to be designed and managed in such a way as to enable them to be kept clean and where necessary free of animals and pests. Guidance issued by the Agency to enforcement officers requires them to check for compliance with the requirements of Regulation 852/2004 during their periodic inspections of food businesses. Where enforcement officers find evidence, including visual evidence, of non- compliance by a food business operator, the enforcement measures that they may take range from informal oral advice to prosecution in the case of serious or repeated breaches.

Doctors: Training

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people visited the Medical Training Application Service website between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. on  (a) 23 April,  (b) 24 April and  (c) 25 April.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 8 May 2007
	The information requested is not collected centrally.

Doctors: Training

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate her Department has made of the number of people who have gained unauthorised access to the Medical Training Application Service website.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 8 May 2007
	The Department has commissioned a report into the breach of security of Medical Training Application Service website, the findings of which we will publish. So far the security investigation has determined that 21 separate internet protocol (IP) addresses, mostly belonging to authorised Postgraduate Deaneries, accessed the Medical Training Application Service website before the data were removed. Further analysis is ongoing to establish the extent of unauthorised access that took place.

Doctors: Training

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken by her Department to ensure that those doctors whose details were available on the Medical Training Application Service website do not become victims of identity theft and fraud.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 8 May 2007
	The Department is still working to ascertain the identity of any unauthorised people who accessed the information. As soon as this is determined, the Department will take the appropriate steps to prevent identity theft and fraud.

Doctors: Training

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken to ensure that doctors' personal details which are available on the Medical Training Application Service website are no longer in the public domain through other websites or publications.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 8 May 2007
	All personal details were removed from the website by 5.15 pm on 25 April, the day of the security breach. The Department is taking steps to recover any information that might have been taken by those parties who gained unauthorised access.

Doctors: Training

Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department instructed the Medical Training Application Service contractor Methods to password protect personal details of foundation programme applicants made available to the postgraduate deaneries on dedicated webpages prior to details being uploaded onto the relevant web page; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 8 May 2007
	 The Department has commissioned a report into the breach of security of the Medical Training Application Service website the findings of which we will publish.

Drugs: Misuse

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in each London borough were recorded as having an addiction to  (a) cocaine,  (b) heroin,  (c) ecstasy and  (d) other illegal drugs in each of the last 10 years.

Caroline Flint: Drug misusers are not required to register their addiction so we are not able to provide this information.

Fertility

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what public funding is provided annually for the National Gamete Donation Trust.

Caroline Flint: The National Gamete Donation Trust received £40,900 in 2006-07 and has been awarded a grant of £40,000 for 2007-08 and £40,000 for 2008-09. The grants are provided for the Trust's administrative costs in providing information about sperm and egg donation and are given under section 64 of the Health Services and Public Health Act 1968.

Food: Advertising

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the potential effectiveness of the Office of Communications' advertising ban on junk food based on the Food Standards Agency's nutrient profiling model; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Office of Communications' (Ofcom) has assessed the impact of the new rules restricting television advertising to children for food that is high in fat, salt and sugar. They are expected to reduce children's exposure to advertising impacts by 41 per cent. for four to 15-year-olds and 51 per cent. for four to nine-year-olds. Ofcom will review the effectiveness and scope of the new restrictions in autumn 2008, one year after the full implementation of the new content rules.
	The Department will monitor the impact of new restrictions in both broadcast and non-broadcast media to see whether they deliver the Government's commitment to changing the nature and balance of food and drink advertising to children. An interim review will be conducted in autumn 2007, and the Department has committed to work with Ofcom and industry partners on a more detailed review in 2008. On that basis, the Government will decide whether further action, such as legislation, is required.

Food: Advertising

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects her Department's Food and Health Advertising and Promotion Forum to deliver its proposals on all non-broadcast promotion of foods high in fat, sugar and salt to children.

Caroline Flint: The Committee on Advertising Practice (CAP) recently announced new content restrictions on the promotion of food and drink to children in non-broadcast media. These restrictions will apply from 1 July to food and drink advertising to children under 16, with stricter rules for the content of adverts aimed at pre and primary school children.
	The Department, along with members of its Food and Drink Advertising and Promotion Forum, are investigating what voluntary action can be taken in those media that fall outside of the CAP code, packaging, sponsorship, point of sale and new media. Progress in these areas will feed into the Government's interim review in autumn 2007, which will consider whether the new restrictions in broadcast and non-broadcast media are in practice delivering the Government's commitment to change the nature and balance of food and drink advertising to children.
	The Government will undertake a more detailed review of advertising and promotional trends in 2008.

Food: Health Claims

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether food products making health claims referring to  (a) slimming and weight-control,  (b) psychology and behaviour and  (c) children's development and health (i) were able to be placed on the UK market after 19 January 2007 and (ii) will be able to be placed on the market after 7 July 2007 under EC Regulation 1924/2006 on Nutrition and Health Claims Made on Foods; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  whether food products making health claims based upon  (a) generally accepted scientific evidence and  (b) newly emerging science were (i) able to be placed on the UK market after 19 January 2007 and (ii) will be able to be placed on the market after 7 July 2007 under EC regulation 1924/2006 on Nutrition and Health Claims Made on Foods; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Regulation puts in place various transitional periods, and associated conditions, which allow health claims to continue to be made following the application date of 1 July and until the community list of health claims has been adopted. These transitional periods relate to the health claim, rather than the product or the nature of supporting evidence.
	The specific transitional period for claims which refer to the role of a nutrient or other substance in growth, development and the normal function of the body allows claims on the market prior to 19 January 2007 to continue to be used until 31 January 2010 (the date of adoption of the community list); claims which refer to psychological and behavioural functions and slimming or weight control on the market prior to 19 January 2007 may continue to be used on the condition that an application for authorisation has been made prior to 19 January 2008. All these claims may remain on the market until a decision is taken whether or not to include them in the community list.
	The controls for claims referring to children's development and health were added late in negotiations and as a result specific transitional periods were not included. There is a possibility that a transition period could be included with an amendment on comitology currently being discussed. Both the Council and Commission have indicated that they would support this, if proposed by the European Parliament.

Food: Labelling

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the average quantity or weight of a serving of a particular food is taken into account when determining the labelling used under the Food Safety Agency's nutrient profiling model.

Caroline Flint: The Food Standards Agency's nutrient profiling model has been developed solely as a tool for Ofcom to use to redress the imbalance of television advertising to children. It is not used for labelling purposes. It assesses food on a l00g basis rather than portion size.

Health Hazards: Aerials

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice she has received from the Chief Medical Officer on the health effects of mobile telephone masts; and what studies are under way.

Caroline Flint: The Stewart report in 2000 comprehensively reviewed the scientific literature and concluded that, the balance of evidence to date suggests that exposures below international guidelines do not cause health effects to the general population, www.iegmp.org.uk. This report and a more recent review, "Mobile Phones and Health 2004", documents of the National Radiological Protection Board, volume 15, No. 5, form the basis of health advice relating to mobile phone technology. This advice is available on the web site of the Health Protection Agency's Radiation Protection Division (HPA-RPD) at www. hpa.org.uk/radiation. Both these reports, additionally, recommended further research as part of an overall precautionary approach to the use of mobile phone technology pending the availability of more robust scientific research results.
	The independently managed mobile telecommunications and health research (MTHR) programme was set up in 2001 in response to the Stewart report recommendations. It is currently supporting a number of studies into the possible health effects of mobile phone technology and these are described on the MTHR website at:
	www.mthr.org.uk.
	All mobile phones and base stations in this country comply with international guidelines that are based on comprehensive reviews of the scientific literature. Measurements undertaken by both the HPA and by Ofcom, www.ofcom.org.uk have consistently shown that exposures to radio signals from base stations are lower than the international guideline levels.

Health Services: Hertfordshire

Michael Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many finished consultant episodes there were at West Hertfordshire Acute Hospital Trust  (a) in each specialty and  (b) in total excluding the specialties transferred to Dacorum Primary Care Trust in each year since 2000.

Andy Burnham: The following tables show the count of finished consultant episodes by speciality breakdown by West Hertfordshire Hospitals National Health Service Trust and Dacorum Primary Care Trust (PCT) a provider for the period 2000-01 to 2005-06 NHS Hospitals England
	
		
			   West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust 
			  Main specialty  2005-06  2004-05  2003-0 4  2002-03  2001-02  2000-01 
			 Not known — * — 16 97 1,243 
			 General surgery 9,697 9,900 9,668 9,195 8,838 9,023 
			 Urology 4,502 4,532 4,658 4,481 4,264 4,180 
			 Trauma and Orthopaedics 7,390 7,246 7,260 7,445 7,432 6,765 
			 Ear Nose and Throat (ENT) 1,236 1,090 1,064 918 1,246 1,229 
			 Ophthalmology 2,074 1,841 1,977 1,173 1,274 1,692 
			 Oral surgery 613 706 800 627 521 962 
			 Restorative dentistry — — — * — — 
			 Orthodontics — — — — — * 
			 Plastic surgery 8,018 7,712 7,912 7,178 6,679 6,624 
			 Cardiothoracic surgery — — 541 — — 38 
			 A&E 4,800 3,334 554 394 299 237 
			 Anaesthetics 506 442 * 448 464 467 
			 General Medicine 9,313 8,914 8,633 9,469 9,916 8,547 
			 Gastroenterology 5,872 5,767 5,631 5,205 5,498 5,052 
			 Endocrinology 129 200 282 389 676 1,007 
			 Haematology (clinical) 1,928 2,583 2,884 2,761 2,071 892 
			 Rehabilitation — — — * — 134 
			 Palliative Medicine — 331 351 355 400 343 
			 Cardiology 3,691 3,308 2,073 1,416 1,490 1,706 
			 Dermatology 252 551 564 675 850 911 
			 Thoracic medicine 1,714 1,225 1,362 1,305 1,324 1,461 
			 Genitourinary medicine — * — — — — 
			 Nephrology 20 46 16 * — * 
			 Medical oncology 292 748 707 505 491 538 
			 Neurology 17 17 * 20 23 35 
			 Rheumatology 816 502 393 172 183 89 
			 Paediatrics 5,430 4,998 5,293 4,973 — 2,405 
			 Geriatric medicine 7,313 7,501 6,819 5,930 4,751 4,995 
			 Obstetrics for patients using a hospital bed or delivery facilities 8,619 8,794 8,385 7,648 8,057 6,325 
			 Gynaecology 4,379 4,487 4,616 4,699 5,085 5,495 
			 Mental handicap — * * * — — 
			 Radiotherapy 820 4,768 * 4,606 5,138 5,202 
			 Haematology — — 4,688 — 181 1,149 
			 Immunopathology 138 112 96 107 73 15 
			 Total 89,579 91,662 87,245 82,118 77,321 78,765 
			  Source:  Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care 
		
	
	
		
			  Dacorum PCT 
			   Dacorum PCT as a provider 
			  Main specialty  2005-06  2004-05  2003-04  2002-03  2001-02 
			 Geriatric medicine — 217 204 199 145 
			 Community medicine 272 — — — — 
			 Total 272 217 204 199 145 
			  Notes:  Data Quality Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by over 300 NHS trusts and PCTs in England. The Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seeks to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain.  Finished Consultant Episode (FCE) An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.  Specialty Care is needed when analysing HES data by specialty, or by groups of specialties (such as Acute). Trusts have different ways of managing specialties and attributing codes so it is better to analyse by specific diagnoses, operations or other recorded information.  Low Numbers Due to reasons of confidentiality, figures between 1 and 5 have been suppressed and replaced with '*' (an asterisk). We have used secondary suppression where the total figures were disclosive.  Ungrossed Data Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).  Source:  Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), The Information Centre for health and social care

Health Services: Sexual Health

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 17 April 2007,  Official Report, column 570W, on abortion, if she will list the  (a) individuals and  (b) organisations consulted prior to the publication of the Recommended Standards for Sexual Health Services; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: A list of those consulted during the development of the Recommended Standards for Sexual Health Services can be found in Appendix D of the standards, a copy of which has been placed in the Library.

Health Services: Special Educational Needs

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much each health trust which has appropriate responsibilities spent on out-of-authority placements for special educational and health needs in each of the last three years.

Ivan Lewis: This information is not held centrally.

Heart Disease

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking following the recent National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence report on the use of myocardial perfusion scans for patients presenting with chest pain.

Caroline Flint: There are several competing technologies for assessing myocardial perfusion. All cardiac centres should be developing strategies for perfusion imaging choosing the technology that best suits local circumstances and expertise.

Heart Disease: Screening

Chris Mullin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 31 January 2007,  Official Report, column 402W, if she will introduce screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm for men aged 65 years and over; what her response has been to the recent National Screening Committee decision to recommend such screening without further conditions; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The UK National Screening Committee (NSC) has advised that screening for men aged 65 for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) can be recommended in principle subject to further work, particularly on the appropriate configuration of treatment services and the provision for men to make an informed choice about whether to undergo screening. At its meeting in March 2007 the NSC considered further work undertaken by the AAA screening working group. More detailed work will now be undertaken on the practical issues that would be involved in implementation.

Heroin

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors are licensed to prescribe heroin to drug misusers; how many pilot trials relating to the prescription of heroin for drug misusers are being undertaken; how many drug misusers are part of these trials and being prescribed heroin; and when the trials  (a) started and  (b) are expected to end.

Caroline Flint: There are currently 129 doctors licensed to prescribe diamorphine (heroin) for the treatment of addiction in the United Kingdom.
	The Randomised Injectable Opiate Treatment Trial is currently under way in two sites in Darlington and London. The National Addiction Centre, supported by Government, is examining injectable diamorphine, injectable methadone and oral methadone treatments in a randomised controlled trial. The aim is to recruit 150 persons to participate in the trial, so approximately 50 will be prescribed diamorphine. The trial is due to be completed in 2008, and it started in 2005. The results on outcomes will be published after completion of the trial and following independent peer review.

Homeopathy

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the level of availability of treatment in homeopathic hospitals to NHS patients in England.

Caroline Flint: The homeopathic hospitals in the United Kingdom fall under the jurisdiction of the national health service in the area in which they are based. Any decisions on the services any of these hospitals provide are the responsibility of those NHS health care organisations.
	The Government consider that decision-making on individual clinical interventions, whether conventional, or complementary/alternative treatments, have to be a matter for local NHS service providers and practitioners as they are best placed to know their community's needs. In making such decisions, they have to take into account evidence for the safety and clinical and cost-effectiveness of any treatments, the availability of suitably qualified practitioners, and the needs of the individual patient. Clinical responsibility rests with the NHS professional who makes the decision to refer and who must therefore be able to justify any treatment they recommend. If they are unconvinced about the suitability of a particular treatment, they cannot be made to refer.

Hospitals

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many new hospitals were opened in each year since 1979.

Andy Burnham: Detailed information from the first stages of a hospital build procurement only began being collected centrally in 1979.
	The number of hospital schemes with a capital value of £25 million (at 1990-2000 prices) and over opened in each year since 1979 are listed.
	
		
			   Number of schemes  Public capital/private finance initiative (PFI) capital 
			 1983 2 Public 
			 1984 4 Public 
			 1985 4 Public 
			 1986 6 Public 
			 1987 6 Public 
			 1988 9 Public 
			 1989 4 Public 
			 1990 6 Public 
			 1991 9 Public 
			 1992 8 Public 
			 1993 6 Public 
			 1994 1 Public 
			 1995 6 Public 
			 1996 6 Public 
			 1997 5 Public 
			 1998 4 Public 
			 1999 0 — 
			 2000 4 1 public, 3 PFI 
			 2001 8 1 public, 7 PFI 
			 2002 10 3 public, 7 PFI 
			 2003 8 PFI 
			 2004 5 4 public, 1 PFI 
			 2005 8 4 public, 4 PFI 
			 2006 17 4 public, 13 PFI 
			 2007 3 PFI 
		
	
	Hospital schemes with a capital value of £25 million and over represent a significant reconfiguration or rationalisation of services, normally involving the addition of a major new wing or centre or the partial or total rebuild of the main hospital.

Hospitals: Waiting Lists

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the causes of the correlation between primary care trusts with low-age needs scores and health economies with greater distance from the out-patient booking time target reported in her Department's Chief Economist's report "Explaining NHS deficits", published on 20 February;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the reasons for the relationship between primary care trusts with low-age needs scores and health economies with greater distance from the four-hour accident and emergency waiting time target reported in her Department's Chief Economist's report, "Explaining NHS deficits", published on 20 February.

Andy Burnham: There is a statistically significant relationship between starting positions in terms of meeting a number of important performance targets and age/needs. The correlation is not a perfect one (with correlation coefficients ranging from -0.28 in the case of distance to the accident and emergency-four hour wait and age/needs to -0.13 in the case of distance to the outpatient booking targets and age/needs). Some parts of the country with low age/needs did not have far to travel in meeting these targets. The reasons behind the relationship are complex.
	Historical under-performance in low age/needs areas is likely to have existed for some time. By raising the quality of care to uniform national standards, the Government have significantly improved services provided to patients in these areas.
	While distance to meeting performance targets was found to be a contributory factor in causing recent national health service deficits in certain parts of the country, as stated in the Chief Economist's report "Explaining NHS deficits, 2003/04-2005/06", it is by no means considered to be the only, or even the most important, contributory factor.
	The age and need indexes, and the interactions between them, are currently being reviewed by independent academic researchers under the auspices of the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation. A new age and need adjustment for weighted capitation may emerge from this research for resource allocation in 2008-09.

Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when she expects to publish the planned draft Bill amending the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990; which  (a) organisations and  (b) individuals will be supplied copies (i) free of charge and (ii) upon payment of a charge; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The draft Bill will be published shortly. It will be published as a command paper, available online (free of charge) or in hard copy via TSO (The Stationery Office) and its accredited agents (priced). In addition the Department will distribute complimentary copies of the draft Bill to a range of stakeholder organisations with an established interest in this field.

Hyperactivity: Medical Treatments

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department has conducted into the use of  (a) diet and  (b) brain exercises to control developmental conditions such as Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder.

Caroline Flint: The new National Institute for Health Research South London and Maudsley NHS Trust and Institute of Psychiatry Biomedical Research Centre, funded by the Department, will research mental health disorders starting in childhood, including attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This will include work on cognitive therapy.
	The Medical Research Council, one of the main agencies through which the Government support biomedical research, currently supports a broad portfolio of research relevant to ADHD. A number of the programmes in the portfolio are directly relevant to the hon. Gentleman's question and to ADHD more generally, and include research on the interaction of physical, environmental and social factors and on rehabilitation.
	The Food Standards Agency has published a systematic review of evidence on the effect of diet and nutrition on learning, education and performance in school aged children. This included studies examining ADHD symptoms. Overall, the review concluded that there is insufficient evidence to reach a firm conclusion on the effect of specific nutrients or foods on learning or performance.
	The link between diet and cognitive function is a key theme of the Food Standards Agency's Nutritional Status and Function research programme. Research completed to date has found no clear association between the two.

In Vitro Fertilisation

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many human embryos were created in each year since the passage of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990; and how many of these embryos have been brought to birth.

Caroline Flint: Information on the number of embryos that developed to a live birth is not held centrally nor by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). Data on the total number of treatment cycles, the number resulting in a live birth and the number of embryos created are shown in the following table.
	
		
			  Total number of in vitro fertilisation (IVF) treatment cycles, embryos created and treatments resulting in live births 1991 to 2004( 1) 
			   Treatments involving fresh (non- frozen) embryos  Treatments involving frozen embryos( 2)  Non-treatment( 3) 
			  Year (calendar)  Treatment cycles  Embryos created  Treatment cycles with live birth outcome  Treatment cycles  Treatment cycles with live birth outcome  Non- treatment cycles  Embryos created 
			 1991 5,948 26,543 822 696 105 — — 
			 1992 16,022 75,456 2,114 2,233 252 — — 
			 1993 18,860 92,809 2,757 2,939 376 — — 
			 1994 21,345 106,425 3,144 3,491 402 — — 
			 1995 24,753 126,078 3,856 4,548 542 — — 
			 1996 27,428 148,691 4,765 5,994 691 — — 
			 1997 27,811 146,066 4,933 6,178 707 — — 
			 1998 29,078 163,206 5,584 6,445 781 — — 
			 1999 28,212 163,840 5,833 6,602 844 804 575 
			 2000 28,591 170,406 5,981 6,877 908 976 728 
			 2001 28,812 176,947 6,171 7,415 1,017 898 603 
			 2002 29,781 178,794 6,708 7,639 1,070 756 724 
			 2003 30,069 179,906 6,924 7,449 1,178 713 968 
			 2004 32,141 185,409 7,123 7,956 1,167 694 1,038 
			 (1 )2004 is the most recent year for which information is available. (2 )Embryos used in these cycles may have been created in previous years as part of fresh treatment cycles. (3 )These are IVF cycles that, although started, did not progress to embryo transfer. These embryos may have been used in a patient's later frozen treatment cycles or for embryo donation. No data is held for years 1991-1998.  Source: HFEA

Incontinence: Medical Equipment

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether her Department has made an assessment of the effects on children aged between five and 16 years of age and their families of the changes to the current provision of continence appliances and products proposed in the consultation on arrangements for the reimbursement pricing of stoma and incontinence appliances under Part IX of the drug tariff.

Caroline Flint: In reviewing the arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and incontinence appliances, and related services, the Department has always made it clear that a key objective has been to maintain and, where appropriate, to improve patient care. This objective embraces all patient groups, including young people.

Influenza: Vaccination

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 22 November 2006,  Official Report, column 139W, on influenza, what steps she is taking to meet the World Health Organisation's target of vaccinating 75 per cent. of high risk groups against seasonal influenza, in addition to the elderly.

Caroline Flint: In 2003, the World Health Assembly urged member states with influenza vaccination policies to increase vaccination coverage of all people in high risk groups. The 75 per cent. uptake target set by the World Health Organisation (WHO) was for the elderly to be reached by 2010. This target was achieved in 2005-06, when uptake in those aged 65 and over reached 75.3 per cent.
	WHO did not set a target for those less than 65 years with risk factors.

Influenza: Vaccination

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of  (a) those aged 65 and over and  (b) those aged under 65 and judged to be clinically at risk were immunised against seasonal influenza in each year since 2000-01.

Caroline Flint: The proportion of influenza vaccine uptake in those aged 65 and over and those aged under 65 and judged to be clinically at risk since 2000-01 is shown as follows.
	
		
			  Uptake in those aged 65 years and over 
			   Percentage 
			 2000-01 65.3 
			 2001-02 67.7 
			 2002-03 68.5 
			 2003-04 71.0 
			 2004-05 71.5 
			 2005-06 75.3 
			 2006-07 74.0 
		
	
	
		
			  Uptake in clinical risk groups aged under 65 years 
			   Percentage 
			 2000-01 (1)__ 
			 2001-02 (1)__ 
			 2002-03 (1)__ 
			 2003-04 (1)__ 
			 2004-05 42.0 
			 2005-06 48.0 
			 2006-07 42.0 
			 (1) Data not collected.  Note: These data are collected by the Health Protection Agency.

Insulin

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2007,  Official Report, column 585W, on insulin, what the last five dates were on which her Department's officials discussed with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence its future programme on insulin treatments.

Caroline Flint: Dr. Sue Roberts the National Clinical Director for Diabetes and Dr. Nick Summerton, Consultant Clinical and Public Health Advisor (Topic Selection) at the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence have met on the following occasions, where a range of issues were discussed:
	16 November 2006;
	17 November 2006;
	9 January 2007;
	1 February 2007; and
	7 March 2007.

Life Expectancy

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research her Department undertook to investigate differences in life expectancy in different parts of the UK in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: The Department has not over the last five years commissioned generic research of the sort to which the hon. Gentleman refers.

Lung Cancer: NICE

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the financial impact on the NHS of positive National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence appraisals for medicines for lung cancer.

Caroline Flint: There is currently no extant completed technology appraisal from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) of medicines for lung cancer. However, NICE published an appraisal of docetaxel, paclitaxel, gemcitabine, and vinorelbine for non small-cell lung cancer in June 2001. This appraisal was updated by and incorporated into the clinical guideline on lung cancer published in February 2005. NICE's estimate of full-year costs in England and Wales was £9.55 million.
	NICE is currently undertaking two Single Technology Appraisals (STAs) on Tarceva and Alimta for non small-cell lung cancer.

Maternity Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions  (a) Ministers and  (b) officials held with the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on the decision by the Institute to reopen its consultation on chapter three of its draft clinical guidance on intrapartum care.

Caroline Flint: Departmental officials were made aware of the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's (NICE) decision to issue a further consultation document on chapter three of its draft clinical guidance on intrapartum care shortly before that document was published. Ministers have held no discussions with NICE on this issue.

Maternity Services

Stewart Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will assess the adequacy of the policy of not centrally collecting and collating data on the transportation of premature babies under NHS care between health trusts; and if she will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: Although we do not collect data centrally on the transportation of premature babies, that is not to say that we do not consider that this is an important issue. Safety has always been a Government priority. "Maternity Matters: Choice, access and continuity of care in a safe service", published on 3 April, ensures that there will be more flexible and accessible maternity services, which will better meet the needs of local families and improve their experience of care, driving up the quality and efficiency of services. Through "Safety first: a report for patients, clinicians and healthcare managers" specialist support is provided at local national health service organisation levels in identifying patient safety risks, implementing solutions and sharing the learning. In addition, the National Audit Office (NAO) is undertaking a value for money study into neonatal services in England. The NAO will consider transport issues as part of their deliberations.

Medical Equipment

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what percentage of hospitals have allocated  (a) part and  (b) all of the additional funding provided to them under the Capital Challenge Fund scheme for the funding of medical devices;
	(2)  what percentage of the total Capital Challenge Fund has been allocated for  (a) medical devices,  (b) single bay creation and  (c) service modification.

Ivan Lewis: This information is not available centrally. Trusts applying for an allocation from the Capital Challenge Fund were required to allocate the funds to combating healthcare acquired infections, but were not required to give a breakdown of the details of the proposed expenditure.

Medical Records

David Burrowes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidelines or procedures are used by  (a) hospital and  (b) general practitioners' staff to ensure that patient records are handled correctly.

Caroline Flint: The NHS Confidentiality Code of Practice, published in November 2003, provides guidance on required practice for those who work within or under contract to national health service organisations about the safeguarding of confidentiality, and patients' consent to the use of their health records. The guidance includes an explanation of the main relevant legal requirements, and examples of appropriate information disclosure decisions in practice. The guidance applies equally to clinicians, managers, and all other staff in both primary and secondary care settings whose work involves access to personal information and, where appropriate, includes staff in the private and voluntary sectors.
	A full version of the code can be downloaded from the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/06/92/54/04069254.pdf, a copy has been placed in the Library. The code has been endorsed by the Information. Commissioner, the General Medical Council, and the British Medical Association.
	Strong disincentives exist which protect against abuse of patient confidentiality. NHS organisations are responsible, as employers, for the actions taken on their behalf by their employees, and for disciplining their staff when they behave inappropriately. Accessing personal information without a legitimate reason constitutes a breach of the code. Staff who breach patient confidentiality are subject to professional disciplinary measures. Offending doctors and nurses will be reported to their professional regulatory bodies and may face additional disciplinary action, including losing their licence to practice. Separate legal penalties for individuals and organisations misusing personal health and other information are provided for under Section 60 of the Data Protection Act.

Medical Records: Disclosure of Information

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what rights of personal compensation or redress will be available to the patients concerned in respect of commitments made in the NHS care record guarantee in the event of any failure of information governance which results in improper use of disclosure of information from patient records in breach of the guarantee.

Caroline Flint: Responsibility for meeting information governance standards rests with local national health service organisations and their staff. NHS Connecting for Health has introduced a requirement for NHS organisations to sign a statement of compliance, indicating that they meet all appropriate standards and the Department has made information governance standards a key element of performance management within the NHS for the coming year. Organisations will be held accountable for any failings, and in extreme cases will be denied access to the NHS information technology infrastructure until problems are rectified. Where staff knowingly misuse systems we would expect their employing organisation to invoke appropriate disciplinary proceedings.
	Where a failure to meet standards also results in a breach of confidentiality or of data protection requirements, the individual patients concerned have recourse to NHS complaints procedures, the Information Commissioner, and the courts. Health professionals may also be reported to their regulatory bodies if they are in breach of professional standards.

Medical Records: Disclosure of Information

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when NHS patient records are made available to health service providers in the private sector, what steps are  (a) required of the private sector entity  (b) taken by the NHS to ensure (i) separation of NHS and private sector database systems and (ii) responsible use and disposition of data by the private sector entity; and what (A) resources and (B) arrangements are in place for technical audit and inspection of IT systems operated by private providers.

Caroline Flint: Personal health information may only be made available to private sector providers providing services to national health service patients with the consent of the individual patient concerned, and under a contract that sets out the requirement that the appropriate information governance standards required of NHS bodies covering confidentiality, security and record retention are complied with in full.
	Data used in the treatment of NHS patients are not required to be held in a separate database. However, the data handling and management systems to be used must pass a technical and information governance compliance process which includes an assessment that they conform with the requirements of the care record guarantee.
	As part of the initial information governance compliance process documentary evidence, including external audits, are required to be provided by the private sector providers. These are reviewed annually through evidence provided by the provider through the Information Governance Toolkit. Under the most recent private sector provider contracts this has been extended to compliance with IS027001, the new international information security management standard. The Department's NHS Connecting for Health agency retains the right to undertake a direct audit of any private sector provider should they feel that is required.

Medical Records: Pharmacy

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  whether pharmacists will be included among the health professionals authorised to access a patient's care record through the NHS Care Records Service; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the merits of enabling pharmacists access to patients' care records through the NHS Care Records Service.

Caroline Flint: The role of community pharmacists is evolving to enable them to play a full part in meeting the demands of 21st century healthcare, and we believe that in order to be able to carry out these wider roles safely and effectively community pharmacists will need appropriate access to healthcare records. However, we also recognise, from talking with stakeholders, that there are concerns about how patient consent and confidentiality will be managed in a community pharmacy setting. Information governance standards will need to be strictly adhered to, and appropriate assurance mechanisms put in place before community pharmacists will be permitted access to the national health service care records service. We are committed to public consultation on these issues.

Medical Treatments: Testing

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which academic referral centres are contracted to assess  (a) drugs for the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence and  (b) other medical technologies; and what plans she has to standardise the clinical models in different centres assessing new technologies.

Caroline Flint: The Department has contracts with seven technology assessment review teams to undertake reviews including reviews for National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). The teams are based at the following universities:
	Aberdeen;
	York;
	Liverpool;
	Sheffield;
	Birmingham;
	Southampton; and
	Peninsula.
	Each has a set of core methodological skills that mean any one team could be allocated any one topic (drugs or other medical technologies), although teams are encouraged to specialise. All teams follow the NICE methods guide in terms of methodological approach to ensure standardisation. The guide is available on the NICE website at:
	guidance.nice.org.uk

Mental Health Services: Finance

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the evidential basis is for her Department's practice of relating levels of funding for severe and enduring mental health problems to levels of social deprivation.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 3 May 2007
	 Mental health needs are accounted for in the needs element of the weighted-capitation formula. The needs adjustment was examined as part of a major review of the formula prior to the 2003-04 to 2005-06 revenue allocations to primary care trusts. The review was overseen by the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation, and the results were published in the Allocation of Resources to English Areas (AREA) report. A copy of the AREA report has been placed in the Library and is also available at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Policyandguidance/Organisationpolicy/Financeandplanning/Allocations/DH_4137767

Mental Health Services: Moseley Hall Hospital

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate she has made of the cost to the NHS of delays in the approval process for the construction of the new mental health facilities for elderly people at Moseley Hall Hospital since the planning application was first approved in principle; and if she will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has not made an estimate of the cost to the national health service of delays in the approval process for the construction of the new mental health facilities for elderly people at Moseley Hall hospital as this is a matter for the NHS locally.
	The older peoples service developments planned for the Moseley Hall hospital site form an essential part of the Birmingham New Hospitals project. Birmingham and Solihull Mental Health NHS Trust, the University Hospital Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust and Consort Healthcare are working together to take this project forward.

Mental Health Services: Northern Region

John Cummings: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many acute mental health beds there were in the Northern Region in the last three years; and in which hospitals they were located.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Mental Illness

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of expenditure on commissioned secondary mental illness services went to  (a) NHS trusts and  (b) non-NHS providers in each of the last 10 years.

Rosie Winterton: Information on the proportion of expenditure commissioned by secondary mental illness services by national health service trusts and non-NHS trusts providers is not available. Mental health strategies collects information on behalf of the Department on adult mental health planned expenditure in England. The following table shows the proportion of adult MH planned expenditure by NHS trust and non-NHS trusts providers from 2001-02 to 2005-06.
	
		
			  Adult mental health planned expenditure from 2001-02 to 2005-06 and percentage split by provider type 
			   All NHS organisation (Percentage)  Non-NHS organisation (Percentage)  Total investment (£000) 
			 2001-02 70.7 29.3 3,254 
			 2002-03 73.4 26.6 3,709 
			 2003-04 72.9 27.1 3,943 
			 2004-05 73.7 26.3 4,520 
			 2005-06 73.7 26.3 4,904 
			  Notes: 1. Percentage split by commissioner type exclude unreported investment. 2. Total investment include reported and unreported investment. 3. Non-NHS providers include social services, voluntary and the independent sectors.  Source: Mental Health Strategies survey.

Methylamphetamine

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evidence she gathered of the effectiveness of measures designed to restrict opportunities to manufacture methylamphetamine from pseudephedrine and ephedrine used in other countries prior to consulting on changing the legal status of medicines containing these substances to prescription-only in the UK.

Caroline Flint: Although the prevalence of misuse of methylamphetamine is believed to be currently low in the United Kingdom (UK), the Association of Chief Police Officers is receiving increasing levels of intelligence about the prevalence of methylamphetamine. If methylamphetamine did secure a hold in the UK, the consequences would undoubtedly be very serious. The international experience shows that misuse can spread rapidly when certain conditions prevail and the advice of UK enforcement authorities is that most of these conditions now prevail in the UK.
	The experience of comparator countries such as the United States of America (USA), Australia and New Zealand is that once a small number of illicit domestic laboratories become established, a sharper rise in prevalence in these countries has followed. A police force in America reported that if the USA had made ephedrine and pseudoephedrine based products prescription only at a much earlier stage, they would have prevented to a large extent the massive growth in small home made laboratories. The regulatory action taken by the Food and Drug Administration has contributed to a sharp decrease in domestic methylamphetamine production.
	The Commission on Human Medicines (CHM) also considered non-statutory options to restrict the availability of pseudoephedrine and ephedrine, such as rigorous supervision of pharmacy sales of single packs, and concluded that these measures alone would not be sufficient to protect public health. In order to protect public health in the UK, the CHM concluded that a consultation exercise should be conducted on changing the legal status of these medicines, together with restricting the pack size. Ministers accepted this advice and a full public consultation exercise commenced on 7 March 2007 and can be accessed via the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's (MHRA) website at www.mhra.gov.uk. The MHRA would welcome views on the merits of all the consultation proposals and is hosting a meeting with key stakeholders next month.

Minimally Conscious State

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research has been  (a) commissioned and  (b) evaluated by her Department on persons in a minimally conscious state; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: None.
	The Medical Research Council (MRC) is one of the main agencies through which the Government support biomedical research. The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Innovation.
	The MRC has funded the following studies of relevance to the hon. Gentleman's question:
	Dr. Adrian Owen's work at the MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit in Cambridge which has demonstrated that it is possible to detect awareness in patients suffering from persistent vegetative state;
	the CRASH trial—a large simple placebo-controlled trial, among adults with head injury and impaired consciousness, of the effects of corticosteroids on death and disability—led by a team at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine; and
	a university of Southampton study seeking to develop of a clinically relevant in vitro model of traumatic brain injury.

Mite Allergens

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research she has  (a) conducted and  (b) supported into mite allergens; and whether this research indicates potential risks to human health.

Caroline Flint: The Department is currently funding a research programme at a cost of £2.5 million over five years at the Social Medicine and Health Services Research Unit at Imperial College, London on respiratory epidemiology. Part of this programme includes research on allergens, including house dust mites.
	The unit is the coordinating centre for the second European Community Respiratory Health Survey. The survey has sought among other things to determine the risk attributable to chronic exposure to environmental risk factors including mite allergens for the incidence and prognosis of allergy, allergic disease and low lung function. Results will be published in due course.
	The Medical Research Council, one of the main agencies through which the United Kingdom Government support medical and clinical research, is currently funding a large volume of underpinning work on allergic mechanisms and on asthma, although none specifically on mite allergens at present.

Multiple Sclerosis: Research

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding her Department makes available for research into multiple sclerosis.

Caroline Flint: The Department funds research to support policy and to provide the evidence needed to underpin quality improvement and service development in the national health service. Spend by the Department's national research programmes and by the Medical Research Council (MRC) on multiple sclerosis is shown in the table.
	
		
			  Expenditure on multiple sclerosis research 
			  £ million 
			   Department of Health  Medical Research Council 
			 2000-01 0.5 1.5 
			 2001-02 0.6 2.1 
			 2002-03 0.1 1.8 
			 2003-04 0.1 1.1 
			 2004-05 0.1 1.4 
			 2005-06 0.8 n/a 
			 n/a = not available  Note: The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Innovation. 
		
	
	Over the last 10 years, the main part of the Department's total expenditure on health research has been devolved to and managed by NHS organisations. Details of individual NHS supported research projects including a number concerned with multiple sclerosis are available on the national research register at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/research.

Muscular Dystrophy

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the progress made by the MDEX consortium into researching Duchenne muscular dystrophy; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Lord Hunt met with representatives from the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy research team on 15 March. The MDEX Consortium research and clinical trial that the Department is funding with £1.6 million is progressing well, with the first patient due to receive the first dose of the experimental molecule within the next few months.

Muscular Dystrophy

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to increase the level of public spending on research into  (a) treatments and  (b) cures for muscular dystrophy.

Caroline Flint: Both the Department and the Medical Research Council (MRC) have in recent years invested in research related to Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), and will continue to do so.
	The Department's policy research programme has recently launched a major new research initiative on long-term neurological conditions. One of the seven, linked studies commissioned under the initiative "Transition to Adulthood: the experiences and needs of young men with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and their Families" is specifically focused on DMD.
	Implementation of the Department's research strategy "Best Research for Best Health" will result in an expansion of our research programmes and in significant new funding opportunities for health research. Awards will be made after open, competitive, peer review we do not plan to ring fence funds for specific conditions.

National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 20 March 2006,  Official Report, columns 169-170W, on the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) appraisals, what progress has been made in the work to ensure NICE's independent advisory committee takes account of wider societal costs when making its recommendations.

Caroline Flint: In January 2007, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published two technology appraisals on treatments for drug misuse;
	methadone and buprenorphine for the management of opioid dependence;
	naltrexone for the management of opioid dependence.
	NICE undertook sensitivity analyses to ensure that the Appraisal Committee was aware of the related wider societal costs and benefits associated with the issues addressed in these appraisals.

National Treatment Agency

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the £50 million allocated to the National Treatment Agency for capital funding has been  (a) bid for and  (b) paid out to bidders.

Caroline Flint: On 21 June 2006 the Department announced additional capital funding to improve the capacity and outcomes of in-patient and residential rehabilitation services via a strategic bidding process.
	The National Panel received 76 bids totalling £106 million and agreed allocations of £54.3 million to strategic health authorities. On 23 February 2007 the Department wrote to all strategic health authority chief executive officers informing them of allocations and recommendations for spend based upon the outcome of the capital strategic bidding process.
	Funding will begin to be allocated to strategic health authorities early in the 2007-08 financial year.

Neonatal Care

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many requests to care for seriously ill premature babies have been turned down in the last two years for which complete data are available, broken down by NHS trust.

Ivan Lewis: This information is not collected centrally.

NHS-specific Inflation

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 18 April 2006,  Official Report, column 247W, on NHS-specific inflation, what the NHS-specific inflation index was for each year since 1997-98.

Andy Burnham: The following table reports, from 1997-98 to 2005-06 the hospital and community health service (HCHS) pay and prices, HCHS capital, and family health service (FHS) indices, which together account for more than 95 per cent. of total net national health service expenditure.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			   Pay and prices  Capital  FHS 
			 1997-98 1.7 4.2 3.0 
			 1998-99 4.0 3.0 3.0 
			 1999-2000 4.5 2.8 4.1 
			 2000-01 4.2 5.7 2.7 
			 2001-02 5.1 6.5 2.1 
			 2002-03 3.5 4.5 3.9 
			 2003-04 5.2 4.8 4.6 
			 2004-05 3.3 7.6 n/a 
			 2005-06 3.7 2.4 n/a 
			  Notes: 1. Provisional data subject to revision. 2. The indices above cover more than 95 per cent. of total net NHS expenditure. 3. From 2004-05 the FHS index is no longer available due to the introduction of the new general medical services (GMS) contract leading to a discontinuity in the GMS/personal medical services data series. Consequently, from 2004-05, the NHS inflation index is no longer calculable.

NHS Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NHS organisations which underspend against their capital budget may carry forward the underspend into future financial years.

Andy Burnham: With the implementation of the new capital regime announced in "The NHS in England: the operating framework for 2007-08", capital funding for national health service trusts is determined solely by the affordability of the proposed investments, financed by a system of loans, and subject to a prudential borrowing regime and national constraints. As part of the arrangements for the transition into the new regime, NHS trusts can access public dividend capital in respect of slippage on earlier financial years' central capital budgets, and for other capital expenditure where the contract was signed on or before 1 December 2006.
	There are no changes to the primary care trusts (PCT) capital allocations and financing arrangements in 2007-08. The 2007-08 PCT capital plans are currently being analysed to determine the affordability of any carry forward of 2006-07 underspending.

NHS Information Technology

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the oral answer of 24 April 2007,  Official Report, column 775, on NHS information technology, 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the  (a) appropriateness and  (b) effectiveness of operating the choose and book system in the area covered by the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the  (a) usage level,  (b) cost of running and  (c) effectiveness of the choose and book system in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly.

Caroline Flint: For Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Primary Care Trust (PCT) in March 2007, choose and book was used for 46 per cent. of general practitioner referrals to first outpatients. The national average was 38 per cent.
	Choose and book has been shown to reduce the number of missed appointments and to improve the accuracy of referrals. Benefits realisation in Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly specifically is a matter for the PCT. Local budgets are also a matter for local decision.

NHS: Drugs

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations her Department has received on disparities between the medicines approved by the Scottish Medicines Consortium and National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence.

Caroline Flint: The Department could only identify such correspondence at disproportionate cost.

NHS: Drugs

Ian Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when her Department will respond to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's proposal for an Ultra-Orphan Drugs Evaluation Committee to undertake the appraisal of medicines for very rare diseases; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Ministers have received the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence's report on appraising ultra-orphan drugs and have concluded that it is not appropriate at this time to establish a separate appraisal system for such drugs. This position will be kept under review.

NHS: Drugs

Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what advice her Department publishes on the disposal of unused medicines;
	(2)  what recent estimate she has made of the value of unused medicines returned to pharmacies.

Caroline Flint: The Department published "Implementing the new community pharmacy contractual framework—Information for Primary Care Trusts" in April 2005, which includes a section on safe disposal of unwanted medicines as an essential service to be provided by all community pharmacies. "Safe management of healthcare waste" was also published by the Department in November 2006—a best practice guide for the management of healthcare waste including medicines.
	The Department has worked with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee (PSNC) and other pharmacy organisations to develop a "Community pharmacy sector guide on waste disposal", which was published by the PSNC in March 2007.
	Advice on the safe disposal of controlled drugs, commissioned by the Department, is available in "A guide to good practice in the management of controlled drugs in primary care" published by the National Prescribing Centre in February 2007. The Department is developing a similar guide for the safe management of controlled drugs in secondary care.
	Advice to patients and the national health service on the safe disposal of medicines is also made available through a variety of sources such as NHS Direct and Ask About Medicines Week.
	The annual cost of medicines returned to pharmacies unused is not held centrally by the Department. It has been previously estimated that such unused medicines are probably worth £100 million per year.

NHS: Drugs

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  for what reason a full regulatory impact assessment was not carried out on the proposals in her Department's consultation document Arrangements for the remuneration of services relating to appliances within Part IX of the Drug Tariff;
	(2)  what methods her Department used to come to the conclusion that the proposals outlined in the document Arrangements for the remuneration of services relating to appliances within Part IX of the Drug Tariff would not change the market structurally; and which  (a) dispensing appliance contractors,  (b) trade associations and  (c) industry analysts were consulted in reaching this conclusion;
	(3)  for what reason the partial regulatory impact assessment on Arrangements for the remuneration of services relating to appliances within Part IX of the Drug Tariff was temporarily withdrawn from the Department of Health website on Monday 26 March 2007.

Caroline Flint: The regulatory impact assessment (RIA) is a continuous process that is intended to help policy makers think through and understand the consequences of possible and actual Department interventions in the public, private and third sectors. It is also a tool to enable the Department to weigh and present the relevant evidence on the positive and negative effects of such interventions, including reviewing the impact of policies after they have been implemented.
	The RIA that was published in November was a partial RIA. The intent was to give interested parties the opportunity to comment and identify potential unintended consequences of, if necessary, the impact of the proposed changes that were set out in the consultation documents relating to service provision entitled:
	1. Arrangements for the remuneration of services relating to appliances within Part IX of the Drug Tariff, published 23 November 2006; closed 2 April 2007.
	2. Proposed Amendments to the Regulatory Terms of Service of Pharmacy and Appliance Contractors in relation to Dispensing Items Listed in Part IX of the Drug Tariff, published 5 March 2007; closed 2 April 2007. This document was intended to show pharmacy and appliance contractors possible legislative requirements that would be needed as a consequence of the proposals set out in paper 1.
	All responses to the partial RIA will be considered carefully and the Department will not be in a position to complete a full and final RIA until such time as the review has been concluded. At that stage a full RIA will be prepared and published.
	The Department has no record of the RIA being temporarily withdrawn from the Department's website.

NHS: Expenditure

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent per capita of the population by the NHS in  (a) South Tyneside,  (b) the north east and  (c) England in each year since 1997.

Andy Burnham: National health service expenditure per unweighted head is shown in the table. It is only possible to show figures for Gateshead and South Tyneside health authority (HA) area from 1997-98 to 2001-02; after this data shown is for the Northumberland, Tyne and Wear Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area. North East is the area covered by the Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, and County Durham and Tees Valley SHAs.
	
		
			   1997-98  1998-99  1999-2000  2000-01  2001-02  2002-03  2003-04  2004-05  2005-06 
			 Gateshead and South Tyneside 681.85 725.15 829.65 892.83 1,010.32 1,094.71 1,202.15 1,351.37 1,479.08 
			 North East 625.81 694.78 820.12 872.82 965.85 989.32 1,198.01 1,345.02 1,464.42 
			 England 607.85 659.76 763.79 825.38 926.13 991.07 1,116.32 1,236.10 1,334.99 
			  Notes:  1. Expenditure by strategic health authority area is taken as the total expenditure of the SHA, predecessor HAs and PCTs within the SHA area.  2. Expenditure shown does not include all national health service expenditure within the area. Expenditure on general dental services and pharmaceutical services accounted for by the Dental Practice Board and Prescription Pricing Authority, respectively, are excluded. This expenditure cannot be included within the figures for the individual health bodies as they are not included in commissioner accounts.  Sources:  Audited accounts of HAs 1997-98 to 2001-02.  Audited summarisation forms of SHAs 2002-03 to 2005-06.  Audited summarisation schedules of primary care trusts (PCTs) 2000-01 to 2005-06.  Office of National Statistics unweighted population figures.

NHS: Finance

Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will place in the Library the latest findings of the turnaround teams within West Hertfordshire NHS Trust.

Andy Burnham: Organisations in turnaround may have utilised external turnaround support in the form of professional advisers or turnaround directors to work with them to assist with their turnaround programme. This external turnaround support is often referred to as turnaround teams. Organisations are responsible for the procurement of this external support at a local level and hence any findings from their work will be held at the organisation.

NHS: Finance

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which NHS trusts in Greater London are in deficit; and what the deficit is in each case.

Andy Burnham: The table shows national health service trusts in London strategic health authority forecasting a year-end deficit at quarter three, 2006-07.
	On the basis of results reported at quarter three 2006-07, we believe the NHS is on course to at least deliver a balanced financial position at the end of 2006-07. This strengthened financial position is a clear sign that the NHS is delivering against the strict financial targets we have set.
	
		
			  2006-07 quarter three forecast outturn surplus/(deficit) 
			  NHS trust  £000 
			 Barking, Havering and Redbridge Hospital NHS trust (15,741) 
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS trust (9,409) 
			 Bromley Hospitals NHS trust (12,894) 
			 Epsom and St. Helier University Hospitals NHS trust (7,277) 
			 Mayday Healthcare NHS trust (1,800) 
			 Newham University Hospital NHS trust (2,516) 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS trust (25,619) 
			 Queen Elizabeth Hospital NHS trust (36,079) 
			 Queen Mary's Sidcup NHS trust (5,363) 
			 St. George's Healthcare NHS trust (5,500) 
			 The Lewisham Hospital NHS trust (11,956) 
			 West Middlesex University NHS trust (4,453) 
			 Whipps Cross University Hospital NHS trust (30,405) 
			  Source: Department quarter three NHS financial report 2006-07

NHS: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of NHS organisations have ended the financial year in  (a) aggregate and  (b) in-year deficit in each financial year since 1997-98.

Andy Burnham: The following table shows the number and percentage of NHS organisations ending the financial year in aggregate deficit:
	
		
			   HAs/SHAs  PCTs  NHS trusts 
			   Number in deficit  Percentage in deficit  Number in deficit  Percentage in deficit  Number in deficit  Percentage in deficit 
			 1997-98 48 48 — — 149 35 
			 1998-99 48 48 — — 98 24 
			 1999-2000 59 60 — — 150 40 
			 2000-01 0 0 0 0 39 11 
			 2001-02 0 0 0 0 50 16 
			 2002-03 0 0 21 7 50 18 
			 2003-04 0 0 41 14 65 24 
			 2004-05 1 4 90 30 68 26 
			 2005-06 0 0 108 36 71 30 
			  Note: Data on the in-year financial position of NHS organisations are not collected centrally. The in-year financial position was only collected for 2006-07.  Source: Audited National Health Service summarisation schedules

NHS: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if she will list the titles of all studies into NHS deficits  (a) undertaken and  (b) commissioned by her Department since March 2006;
	(2)  if she will place in the Library a copy of the May 2006 study by her Department's Corporate Analytical Team entitled System Change and Financial Imbalance: The Dynamics of Deficits.

Andy Burnham: In his report on national health service financial performance 2005-06, published in June 2006, the Department's director general of Finance and Investment commissioned further detailed analysis from the Department's Chief Economic Advisor, asking him to consider factors that may have caused the emergence of deficits in 2004-05 and contributed to their geographical distribution. The Chief Economist's report, entitled "Explaining NHS deficits, 2003-04 to 2005-06", was published on the 20 February 2007, and a copy is available in the Library.
	Two further internal studies on NHS deficits have been undertaken by the Department since March 2006 and were completed before the Chief Economist published his report. These are:
	"System change and financial imbalance: the dynamics of deficits", May 2006. A copy has been placed in the Library.
	"Financial management and control", which has already been published as annex E to the chief economist report.

NHS: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 29 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 1790-91W, on NHS finance, what the total value of capital-to-revenue transfers made by the NHS was in each year since 1990-91.

Andy Burnham: The Department was given one cash limit for capital and revenue expenditure in the years prior to 1997-98. Capital delegated expenditure limit (CDEL) and revenue delegated expenditure limit (RDEL) controls were introduced in 1998 and the information requested, regarding transfers from CDEL to RDEL, has been provided in the answer in the 29 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 1790-91W.

NHS: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2007,  Official Report, column 137W, on NHS: finance, what the monthly  (a) income and  (b) expenditure was of each NHS organisation in each month since April 2006.

Andy Burnham: In line with our commitment to publish quarterly financial information, monthly income and expenditure data for each national health service organisation at quarters 1, 2 and 3 2006-07 has been placed in the Library.

NHS: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2007,  Official Report, column 138W, on NHS: finance, what elements of the weighted capitation formula the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA) is reviewing; and whether the recommendations ACRA makes to Ministers on changes to the weighted capitation formula to be published before they are used to inform allocations in 2008-09.

Andy Burnham: The Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation is currently reviewing the weighted-capitation formula used to inform revenue allocations to primary care trusts (PCTs). The review will cover the market forces factor element and the needs element of the formula. The population base used for revenue allocations to PCTs post 2007-08 is also being reviewed. In addition, the review will look again at the issues faced by rural areas.
	The date for the announcement of revenue allocations to PCTs post 2007-08, and the timetable for the publication of related documentation, has not yet been determined.

NHS: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to implement the recommendation made on page seven of her Department's report Explaining NHS deficits, published on her Department's website on 20 February 2007, for further analysis of how strategic health authorities may offset weaknesses in the allocations process without undermining incentives for subsidiary organisations to make efficient decisions.

Andy Burnham: The Department is considering this recommendation as part of its work on developing the national health service financial regime.

NHS: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of each primary care trust budget was top-sliced in 2006-07.

Andy Burnham: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given on 19 March 2007,  Official Report, column 737W.

NHS: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what capital expenditure against budget in the NHS was forecast to be in 2006-07 at month nine;
	(2)  which NHS organisations are forecasting an underspend against their capital budget in 2006-07; and by how much in each case.

Andy Burnham: At quarter 3 of 2006-07, the national health service reported total forecast expenditure against capital resource limit of £2,272 million. The total forecast underspend against capital resource limit was £322 million.
	Tables indicating which NHS organisations were forecasting an underspend against their capital resource limit at quarter 3, have been placed in the Library.

NHS: Finance

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans she has to reduce the value of NHS gross deficits in 2007-08.

Andy Burnham: As outlined in the operating framework, published on 11 December 2006, by the end of the 2006-07 financial year we expect the national health service to return to net financial balance. 2007-08 will be a further year of financial recovery and we will require the NHS to make a net surplus of at least £250 million across NHS trusts, primary care trusts and strategic health authorities (SHAs).
	The gross deficit is forecast to reduce in 2006-07 and building on the financial recovery in that year, the financial performance monitoring the SHAs and the Department have in place we expect the gross deficits to reduce further in 2007-08.

NHS: ICT

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of implementing the NHS IT programme has been in  (a) Surrey primary care trust and  (b) England; what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of the implementation of the programme; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: I refer the hon. Lady to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath (Mr. Godsiff) on 5 March 2007,  Official Report, columns 1694-95W; and to those given to the hon. Member for North Norfolk (Norman Lamb) on 12 March 2007,  Official Report, column 140W, and on 17 April 2007,  Official Report, column 588W.

NHS: Procurement

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will assess the merits of placing controls on the ability of companies which supply drugs or equipment to the NHS to conduct direct lobbying with patients who receive that service.

Caroline Flint: There are already controls on companies that supply medicines to the national health service. The Medicines (Advertising) Regulations 1994 prohibit the advertising of prescription only medicines to the public. Any promotion of a prescription only medicine to patients including lobbying activity that may lead to them seeking a prescription from their healthcare provider is likely to fall within this prohibition. Companies may provide non-promotional information, provided they do not promote a specific prescription only medicine.
	Products which are defined as medical devices are regulated under the Medical Devices Regulations 2002. The regulations do not cover direct lobbying activities by manufacturers who place medical devices on the market. However, such activities can be dealt with under the Trade Descriptions Act 1968 or the Control of Misleading Advertising Regulations l998.

NHS: Public Appointments

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which body is responsible for setting the criteria for appointments made by the Appointments Commission.

Rosie Winterton: The Department agrees the criteria for national health service appointments made by the Appointments Commission.

NHS: Public Appointments

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets on diversity have been set for the appointments made by the Appointments Commission.

Rosie Winterton: Targets for representation in local national health service appointments are for 50 per cent. of those appointed to be women, 10 per cent. to be from black and minority ethnic groups and 6 per cent. of those appointed to be disabled.

NHS: Standards

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the National Service Framework for  (a) cancer,  (b) children,  (c) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,  (d) coronary heart disease,  (e) diabetes,  (f) long-term conditions,  (g) mental health,  (h) older people and  (i) renal services in raising standards of care offered to patients.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has published a number of progress reports looking at the impact of the national service frameworks (NSFs). These are detailed below and are available in the Library:
	"The NHS Cancer Plan" was published in September 2000, and the Department has regularly reviewed progress against it. In October 2003, "The NHS Cancer Plan: Three year progress report, Maintaining the momentum", was published and in October 2004, "The NHS Cancer Plan and the new NHS: Providing a patient-centred service", was published. In addition, in 2005 the National Audit Office (NAO) published "The NHS Cancer Plan: A Progress Report".
	"The National Service Framework for children, young people and maternity services" was published in September 2004. A one-year-on report was produced in 2005. A number of a thematic reports concentrating on particular strands of the NSF have also been produced, most recently a report in November 2006 on the progress made so far on the child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) strand.
	The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) NSF is still under development. The Department is planning to publish the COPD NSF at the end of 2008 with the implementation expected in 2009.
	The Department has published regular progress reports on the progress made in implementing the coronary heart disease NSF, most recently "Shaping the future—progress report for 2006". In addition, in 2005 the Healthcare Commission published "Getting to the heart of it—Coronary heart disease in England: a review of progress towards the national standards".
	"The NSF Four Years On—The Way Ahead: The Local Challenge—Improving Diabetes Services" has been published. It outlines the progress made in the first four years in implementing the NSF for diabetes.
	No assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the "Long-term Conditions National Service Framework". There is a 10-year implementation programme for this NSF. The overall pace of change will be according to local priorities and there are no targets. The Department is supporting local health and social care organisations toward implementation through a co-ordinated range of activities.
	A comprehensive account of progress made in the first five years of the NSF for mental health is available in the National Director for Mental Health's December 2004 report, "The National Service Framework for Mental Health—Five Years On".
	"A New Ambition for Old Age: Next steps in implementing the National Service Framework for Older People" is a refresh of the NSF for older people, and was published in April 2006. This publication was issued at the mid-way point of the 10-year NSF for older people. It built on the progress that had already been made, with older people receiving access to treatment and services in greater numbers than ever before. It sets out the priorities for the next phase of reform under three main themes: dignity in care, system reform for older people with complex needs, and healthy ageing.
	The renal NSF has received positive feedback from the renal community, and the standards and quality requirements set out in it are being delivered. Renal services are managing the ever increasing demand for renal replacement therapy, the number of living kidney donations continues to increase and radical change has been delivered in the areas of early detection of kidney disease and end of life care. A progress report is expected to be published in summer 2007.

NHS: Training

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps she is taking to ensure that all health authorities and trusts produce integrated plans for learning and service development as recommended in the recent report by Professor Fryer.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 27 February 2007
	The Department is currently assessing the responses to "Learning for a Change in Healthcare" and expects to be in a position to propose the next steps for implementation of its recommendations by July 2007. The Department has also already ensured that the service level agreement with the strategic health authorities (SHAs) provides a commitment to
	"provide strategic leadership and, where appropriate, investment to encourage the provision of training and development of the work force and to deliver the recommendations of the Leitch report, "Prosperity for all in the global economy—world class skills", and the report of the Widening Participation in Learning Unit, "Learning for a change in Healthcare"."
	It also sets a key performance indicator, requiring a
	"plan for the development of the wider work force available and published on the SHA website by 1 September 2007. The plan includes opportunities for income generation and matched funding from Learning and Skills Councils."

Obesity

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the rates of obesity amongst adults were in the most recent period for which figures are available, broken down by primary care trust area.

Caroline Flint: Estimates of prevalence of obesity among adults based on 2000-02 data are presented by primary care organisation (PCO) and this information has been placed in the Library. Primary care organisations represent both primary care trusts, and care trusts.
	These estimates represent the prevalence of obesity for any PCO based on population characteristics of that area, together with a statistical model linking population characteristics and obesity levels. The estimates have been generated using a model-based method that combined individual-level data from the Health Survey for England (HSfE) with area-level measures from the 2001 census and from administrative datasets.
	The methodology used to produce these estimates is relatively new and as a result may be subject to consultation, modification and further development. In view of this ongoing work the estimates have been published as experimental statistics.
	Confidence intervals have been produced to accompany the model-based estimates in order to make the accuracy of the estimates clear. It is important to take into account the variability in the estimates when interpreting them. Therefore, the expected prevalence for a PCO should be viewed in light of its confidence interval rather than just the expected obesity prevalence estimate.
	As these are estimates only, we discourage any ranking of the data. The table indicates how the estimated prevalence of each PCO compares with the national estimate for obesity prevalence.

Obesity

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of  (a) children and  (b) adults are (i) obese and (ii) overweight when measured by body mass index according to the Government's most recent health survey figures in (A) Bury St. Edmunds constituency, (B) Suffolk County Council area, (C) the East of England and (D) England.

Caroline Flint: The information is not available in the format requested. Data on overweight and obesity prevalence are available from the Health Survey for England (HSE).
	Data on the proportion of men and women who are overweight and obese are available from the HSE 2005. Data on the proportion of men and women who are overweight and obese in the East of England Government Office Region (GOR) has been taken from the HSE 2003, as this year included a sample boost. Data on overweight and obesity prevalence for Suffolk county council are not available. However data for the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority for adults are given and combined for the years 2002 to 2004 due to small sample sizes. Information for Bury St. Edmunds constituency's overweight and obesity prevalence is not available. However, estimated overweight and obesity information is given for Suffolk West Primary Care Trust (PCT) in which Bury St. Edmunds falls.
	Data for children's overweight and obesity prevalence in England are available from the 2005 HSE. Data for children's overweight and obesity prevalence in the East of England GOR have been combined for the years 2002 to 2004, due to small sample sizes. Information for children's overweight and obesity prevalence is not available below a regional level.
	Table 1 shows the proportion of men and women who are overweight and obese in England, in 2005.
	Table 2 shows the proportion of men and women who are overweight and obese in the East of England GOR, in 2003.
	Table 3 shows the proportion of men and women who are overweight and obese in the Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority, in 2002-2004 combined.
	Table 4 shows estimates of the prevalence of adults who are obese in Suffolk West PCT, 2000-2002
	Table 5 shows the proportion of boys and girls aged two to 15 who are overweight and obese in England, in 2005.
	Table 6 shows the proportion of boys and girls aged two to 15 who are overweight and obese in the East of England GOR, in 2002-2004 combined.
	All the tables have been placed in the Library.

Obesity

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were treated for obesity by the NHS in each year since 1997, broken down by the treatment they received; and what the cost was of providing each treatment in the latest period for which figures are available.

Caroline Flint: Hospital activity and cost information relating to obesity is presented as follows. Figures have been provided on the number of finished consultant episodes (FCEs) with a primary and secondary diagnosis of obesity. Information is also provided on drugs prescribed for the treatment of obesity, including the costs of such drugs. Costs relating specifically to treatment costs for obesity are not available.
	Table 1 shows the number of FCEs with a primary and secondary diagnosis of obesity, for the years 1996-97 to 2005-06.
	Table 2 shows the number of items, net ingredient cost and the average net ingredient cost per item of drugs for the treatment of obesity prescribed in England and dispensed in the community, for the years 2002 to 2006.
	
		
			  Table 1: Finished consultant episodes( 1) , by primary or secondary diagnosis( 2)  of obesity, 1996-97 to 2005-06( 3) , England 
			  Number 
			   Primary diagnosis  Secondary diagnosis 
			 1996-97 787 21,257 
			 1997-98 781 22,320 
			 1998-99 1,049 23,633 
			 1999-2000 1,073 24,480 
			 2000-01 1,170 25,947 
			 2001-02 1,121 27,349 
			 2002-03 1,406 34,701 
			 2003-04 1,856 40,060 
			 2004-05 2,185 49,187 
			 2005-06 2,749 62,708 
			 (1) An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one health care provider. (2) ICD-10 code E66 has been used as a diagnosis for obesity. (3) Figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data.  Source: Hospital Episode Statistics, HES. The Information Centre. 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Number of items, net ingredient cost and average net ingredient cost per item of drugs for the treatment of obesity prescribed( 1)  in England and dispensed in the community, 2002 to 2006, England 
			   2002  2003  2004  2005  2006 
			  Prescription Items (Thousand)  
			 Orlistat 540 484 492 645 774 
			 Sibutramine 196 203 208 226 263 
			 Total(2) 737 688 699 871 1,060 
			   
			  Net Ingredient Cost (£000)  
			 Orlistat 23,401 21,036 21,391 27,020 32,476 
			 Sibutramine 7,752 8,458 9,314 10,984 13,654 
			 Total(2) 31,203 29,532 30,706 38,004 47,541 
			   
			  Net Ingredient Cost per item (£)  
			 Orlistat 43 43 44 42 42 
			 Sibutramine 39 42 45 49 52 
			 Total(2) 42 43 44 44 45 
			 (1) Includes prescriptions prescribed by GPs, nurses, pharmacists and others in England and dispensed in the community in the UK. Prescriptions written in hospitals/clinics that are dispensed in the community, prescriptions dispensed in hospitals and private prescriptions are not included in PACT data. (2) Includes 'other' drugs for the treatment if obesity which include Mazindol, Rimonabant, Phentermine and Diethylpropion Hydrochloride.  Source: Prescribing Analyses and Cost (PACT) from the Prescription Pricing Division of the Business Services Authority (PPD of the BSA).

Obesity: Children

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children aged  (a) one to five,  (b) six to 10,  (c) 11 to 15 and  (d) 16 to 18 years were classified as (i) obese and (ii) overweight in each of the last five years in (A) England, (B) each region and (C) each London borough.

Caroline Flint: The information is not available in the exact format requested. Information on overweight and obesity is available from the Health Survey for England (HSE). Information on childhood overweight and obesity prevalence broken down by age groups and by region has been combined for the years 2002 to 2004, due to small sample sizes. Also data are not available for one-year-olds. Information for young adults overweight and obesity prevalence is only available for the age range 16 to 24, and is not available by Government Office Region. Information for London boroughs is also not available, as the data are not sufficiently robust at this level.
	Table one shows overweight and obesity prevalence among children and young adults aged two to 10, 11 to 15 and 16 to 24, in England for the years 2000 to 2005.
	Table two shows overweight and obesity prevalence among children aged two to five, six to 10 and 11 to 15, for England, 2002 to 2004 combined.
	Table three shows overweight and obesity prevalence among children aged two to 10 and 11 to 15, by Government Office Region for the years 2002 to 2004 combined.
	
		
			  Table 1: Overweight and obesity prevalence among children and young adults, by gender, 2000 to 2005 , England 
			  Percentage 
			   2000  2001  2002  2003( 1)  2004( 1)  2005( 1)  2003( 2)  2004( 2)  2005( 2) 
			  Boys  
			  2-10  
			 Overweight 13.6 15.6 13.3 14.7 14.2 16.5 14.6 14.6 16.1 
			 Obese 12.2 13.5 15.2 14.9 16.2 16.6 15.1 15.9 16.9 
			  11-15  
			 Overweight 10.0 14.1 14.4 14.4 12.8 14.8 14.5 12.8 15.0 
			 Obese 18.8 18.8 19.8 20.4 23.7 20.5 20.0 24.2 20.4 
			  2-15  
			 Overweight 12.4 15.0 13.7 14.6 13.7 15.9 14.6 13.9 15.7 
			 Obese 14.5 15.5 16.9 17.0 18.9 18.0 17.0 19.2 18.3 
			  16-24  
			 Overweight 17.8 27.1 20.9 23.2 23.1 24.3 22.5 23.1 24.1 
			 Obese 9.3 9.5 9.2 8.6 8.2 7.6 8.6 7.9 6.9 
			  Girls  
			  2-10  
			 Overweight 11.6 14.0 13.1 13.4 14.2 12.2 13.4 14.8 12.2 
			 Obese 11.8 12.7 15.8 12.5 11.9 16.7 12.4 12.8 16.8 
			  11-15  
			 Overweight 14.4 17.5 15.1 16.0 19.4 14.0 16.4 19.3 14.1 
			 Obese 18.1 17.7 19.2 21.9 26.2 20.6 22.1 26.7 20.8 
			  2-15  
			 Overweight 12.7 15.2 13.9 14.4 16.3 12.8 14.6 16.6 12.9 
			 Obese 14.2 14.5 17.1 16.1 17.8 18.1 16.1 18.5 18.3 
			  16-24  
			 Overweight 22.1 22.3 20.7 18.8 25.2 20.5 18.3 24.1 19.5 
			 Obese 8.6 11.9 11.3 13.3 12.2 11.2 13.1 12.1 10.8 
			  Bases (weighted)  
			  Boys  
			 2-10 570 1,035 2,364 876 416 695 878 379 664 
			 11-15 306 618 1,381 533 230 382 574 245 438 
			 2-15 877 1,653 3,745 1,410 645 1,077 1,452 624 1,102 
			 16-24 400 757 1,553 686 255 367 960 418 491 
			  Girls  
			 2-10 523 1,094 2,290 897 343 724 858 346 674 
			 11-15 318 605 1,346 547 236 411 535 235 417 
			 2-15 841 1,699 3,636 1,444 579 1,135 1,393 581 1,091 
			 16-24 362 856 1,719 788 294 385 912 378 432 
			 (1) Prom 2003 data were also weighted for non response. Data weighted for child selection only are provided for consistency with previous years. (2 )Weighted  Source: Health Survey for England: Updating of trend tables to include 2005 data. The Information Centre 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 2: Overweight and obesity prevalence among children, by age, 2002-04( 1)  England 
			  Percentage 
			   2002-04 
			  Aged 2-5  
			 Overweight 14.1 
			 Obese 12.3 
			  Aged 6-10  
			 Overweight 13.2 
			 Obese 16.6 
			  Aged 11-15  
			 Overweight 15.0 
			 Obese 20.5 
			  Bases (unweighted)( 2)  
			 Aged 2-5 2,540 
			 Aged 6-10 3,919 
			 Aged 11-15 3,977 
			  Bases (weighted)( 3)  
			 Aged 2-5 2,784 
			 Aged 6-10 4,403 
			 Aged 11-15 4,272 
			 (1) Data are aggregated over the three years, 2002, 2003 and 2004 to achieve a sufficiently large sample for analysis at this level (2). Unweighted figures are raw unadjusted figures (3) Weighted figures are adjusted for child selection only and not non-response  Source: Health Survey for England 2002. The Department of Health Health Survey for England 2003. The Department of Health Health Survey for England 2004. The Information Centre 
		
	
	
		
			  Table 3: Overweight and obesity prevalence among children by Government Office Region (GOR) and age, 2002-04( 1)  England 
			  Percentage 
			   North East  North West  Yorkshire and the Humber  East Midlands  West Midlands  East England  London  South East  South West 
			  Aged 2-10  
			 Overweight 13.8 12.9 15.4 16.4 14.1 12.9 12.3 12.5 12.8 
			 Obese 16.4 14.4 13.6 14.8 17.4 13.4 18.8 13.9 12.7 
			  Aged 11-15  
			 Overweight 13.7 14.8 15.3 11.9 13.1 13.7 17.0 17.1 16.1 
			 Obese 24.0 20.8 20.0 20.2 24.3 18.7 22.5 18.1 18.3 
			  Aged 2-15  
			 Overweight 13.8 13.6 15.4 14.7 13.8 13.2 14.1 14.2 14.0 
			 Obese 19.5 16.8 15.8 16.9 19.9 15.3 20.1 15.4 14.8 
			  Bases (unweighted) ( 2)  
			 Aged 2-10 372 891 700 588 682 743 791 1,041 651 
			 Aged 11-15 250 584 406 366 417 436 470 636 412 
			 Aged 2-15 622 1,475 1,106 954 1,099 1,179 1,261 1,677 1,063 
			  Bases (weighted for selection only)( 3)  
			 Aged 2-10 399 1.021 780 641 768 808 881 1,162 725 
			 Aged 11-15 273 634 424 395 447 462 517 682 438 
			 Aged 2-15 673 1,655 1,204 1,036 1,216 1,271 1,398 1,844 1,163 
			 (1) Data aggregated over the three years, 2002, 2003, and 2004 to achieve a sufficiently large sample for analysis at this level. (2) Unweighted figures are raw unadjusted figures. (3) Weighted figures are adjusted for child selection only and not non-response.  Source:  Health Survey for England 2002. The Department of Health  Health Survey for England 2003. The Department of Health Health Survey for England 2004. The Information Centre

Patient Choice Schemes

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many bookings were made through the Choose and Book system in each month since July 2004  (a) through the directly bookable service and  (b) through the indirectly bookable service (i) in total and (ii) broken down by primary care trust; and what percentage of the total number of GP referrals made in each month these figures represent;
	(2)  how many bookings were made through the Choose and Book system through the  (a) directly and  (b) indirectly bookable service in each month since July 2005, broken down by geographical area.

Caroline Flint: The information has been placed in the Library.

Pharmacy: Internet

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many regulated UK-based internet pharmacies there are; and what estimate she has made of the number of unregulated internet pharmacies based in the UK.

Caroline Flint: The sale and supply of pharmacy and prescription only medicines for human use via the internet must be made in accordance with the Medicines Act 1968. There are approximately 12,684 registered retail pharmacies in Great Britain but not all will provide internet services. Registered pharmacies are not currently obliged to inform the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain if they provide internet pharmacy services, however, to date, 107 pharmacies have volunteered that information. The Society is piloting an internet pharmacy logo designed to assist members of the public in identifying bona fide registered pharmacy premises providing professional services via the internet. There are currently 20 participants involved in the pilot. After a review of the pilot it is intended to extend the logo to all registered retail pharmacies which provide internet services. The Society's inspectorate monitors and inspects all retail pharmacy premises currently on the register and that extends to internet pharmacy services. There is no available estimate of the number of unregulated internet pharmacies based in the United Kingdom. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency routinely monitor medicines being offered for sale on the internet by means of specialist information technology equipment which has been installed and configured to identify websites dealing in medicines illegally. Any suspected illegal activity is referred for investigation.

Photosensitivity

Bruce George: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment her Department has made of the impact on the health of people with light sensitivity conditions of phasing out the sale of incandescent light bulbs; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: The Department is aware of the need to consider health implications in the event of incandescent light bulbs being phased out. Departmental officials have already had discussions with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and other Government Departments that have an interest in these matters.

Prescriptions

James Brokenshire: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice or guidance her Department issues to  (a) primary care trusts and  (b) general practitioners on the amount of drugs prescribed to patients and the duration of prescriptions; and whether that advice or guidance has changed in the last 12 months.

Caroline Flint: The Department has not issued formal guidance to primary care trusts or general practitioners on the amount of drugs to be prescribed to patients or on the duration of prescriptions. However, the National Prescribing Centre published advice in 2000 that was agreed with the Department and outlined factors to be taken into account in prescription duration. Copies of this advice have been placed in the Library.

Prescriptions: ICT

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many prescriptions have been issued using the electronic prescriptions service in each quarter since it became operational; and what estimate she has made of the percentage of prescription items dispensed in the community that were conducted via the electronic prescription service over the same period.

Caroline Flint: The information is in the table.
	
		
			  Quarter  Prescription messages issued  Number of messages downloaded for dispensing  Number dispensed 
			  2005
			 1(1) 4,049 1,391 1,268 
			 2 9,860 3,726 3,608 
			 3 27,120 3,959 3,798 
			 4 184,259 6,354 5,780 
			 
			  2006
			 1 501,743 6,166 5,879 
			 2 1,364,741 15,173 12,279 
			 3 3,262,093 33,657 28,737 
			 4 4,509,230 76,905 62,814 
			 (1) From Monday 21 February 2005. 
		
	
	The imbalance between the number of prescription messages issued and the number dispensed is due to a number of factors. Most general practitioner (GP) system suppliers have achieved technical compliance with the electronic prescription service earlier than the pharmacy system suppliers, resulting in more GP practices having used the service for a longer period of time than pharmacies. In addition, the geographical distribution of bar-coded prescriptions available to pharmacies has been relatively limited. This is now changing and over 1,070 GP practices have achieved the technical capacity to issue bar-coded prescriptions within the last four weeks. As the volume of bar-coded prescriptions spreads geographically, there will be a related increase in the number of prescription dispensed using the electronic prescription service.
	Information is not held centrally in a format that would make it possible to make a reliable estimate of the percentage of prescription items dispensed in the community that were conducted via the electronic prescription service over the same period.

Primary Health Care

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the National Director for Primary Care was first asked to produce his report "Keeping it Personal: clinical case for change", published on 5 February.

Andy Burnham: The National Director for Primary Care's report "Keeping it Personal: clinical case for change" was commissioned on 6 December 2006.

Psychiatry: Drugs

Greg Hands: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what studies she has evaluated on the long-term efficacy of psychiatric drugs used on children; what plans she has for further such investigations; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Only Fluoxetine is authorised for paediatric use. The Medicine and Healthcare product Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has evaluated studies of up to 12 months duration with the product Prozac (Fluoxetine) in paediatric patients and considered that efficacy was demonstrated and the risk/benefit was positive. The MHRA is not aware of other studies for the evaluation of long-term efficacy of psychiatric drugs in children.

Ritalin

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent on methylphenidate drugs in each year between 1997 and 2006.

Caroline Flint: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			  £ million 
			   Net ingredient cost of prescriptions for methylphenidate hydrochloride dispensed in primary care  Estimated cost of methylphenidate hydrochloride dispensed in hospitals 
			
			 1997 1.6 Not held 
			 1998 2.4 Not held 
			 1999 3.1 Not held 
			 2000 3.8 Not held 
			 2001 4.3 0.3 
			 2002 6.5 0.7 
			 2003 10.1 0.9 
			 2004 12.5 1.0 
			 2005 14.2 1.1 
			 2006 17.2 Not yet available 
			  Notes:  1. Net ingredient cost is the basic cost of a drug. It does not take account of discounts, dispensing costs, fees or prescription charges income.  2. The estimated cost of the medicines at NHS list price and not necessarily the price the hospital paid.  Source:  Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) system

Ritalin: Labelling

Theresa May: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the labelling of Methylphenidate-based medication was last updated in accordance with regulatory requirements; if she will review the adequacy of the regulations relating to such labelling; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Methylphenidate (trade names Ritalin, Concerta XL and Equasym XL) is a stimulant drug licensed for children over six years of age as part of a comprehensive treatment programme for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Such treatment should be under the supervision of a specialist in childhood behavioural disorders. Methylphenidate's safety in routine clinical practice is closely monitored by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in conjunction with other European regulatory authorities.
	Since methylphenidate was first authorised in the United Kingdom, a number of changes have been made to the product information for prescribers and patients to better reflect its emerging safety profile. The last revision, in November 2006, was to the product information for Concerta, to advise about serious cardiovascular adverse effects and to recommend that methylphenidate should not be used in children or adolescents with known serious structural cardiac abnormalities. Steps are being taken to ensure consistency of information for all methylphenidate products.
	The longer term safety of the use of methylphenidate is kept under careful review within Europe. The UK, on behalf of Europe, is in discussions with the pharmaceutical companies who manufacture methylphenidate products in order to develop risk management plans, which include the conduct of new research to better characterise and further investigate the safety profile of methylphenidate. As new data emerge they will be carefully evaluated by the MHRA and where necessary current prescribing advice will be updated to reflect the new evidence.
	The marketing authorisation holder of any medicine is legally obliged to keep their product information up to date with all current developments, and respond to requests from regulatory agencies. European regulations governing medicinal products were amended in November 2005 and included provisions for improved monitoring of drug safety and quality of information for patients.

School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme

Alan Milburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pupils in Darlington schools and nurseries receive free fruit.

Caroline Flint: There are 4,275 pupils attending 28 schools in the Darlington area that are currently participating in the school fruit and vegetable scheme.

Sight Impaired

Andrew Pelling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to improve the availability of recreational reading material for people with visual impairments.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	A number of Government Departments have undertaken specific initiatives to improve access to and the availability of recreational reading material for people with visual impairments:
	The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) is working with publishers, booksellers and other sector stakeholders with a view to improving the amount of book material available in accessible formats for blind and visually impaired people. The project has examined:
	the feasibility of using electronic files from publishers to reduce production costs and enable an increase in books produced;
	the feasibility of making accessible books available through mainstream booksellers;
	Braille, large print and daisy audio products;
	Business models for a sustainable growth in accessible products.
	It is anticipated that the project will now proceed to a market test, funded by industry and RNIB.
	In addition the Government are encouraging publishers to consider the needs of visually impaired people in the application of digital protection measures (DPM) to their e-book titles. Some DPM's can prevent screen readers providing a synthetic voice option to consumers.
	The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has supported the 'Revealweb' project—an on-line resource to enable visually impaired people and their helpers to easily locate available material in alternative formats. The Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) are working to link Revealweb to the public libraries' interlibrary loans system to improve access to the public library network for visually impaired people.
	The Government supported the Copyright (Visually Impaired Persons) Act 2002 which removes the need for organisations and individuals to request permission before they reproduce copies in accessible formats, and enables accessible versions of published works to be made under licence.
	The Royal National Institute of the Blind (RNIB) receives an annual grant from the Department for Education and Science (DfES) of £200,000 to support the UK production of embossed literature and to make it available in the UK for the benefit of visually-impaired people.

Smoking

Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been allocated for advertising the implementation of the smoking ban in  (a) Wales,  (b) England and  (c) Northern Ireland; and if she will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: In May, the Department will begin a national and regional advertising campaign in England, targeted at businesses and the general public, to communicate the key aspects of smokefree legislation that will be implemented on 1 July 2007. A budget of £4.8 million has been allocated to the campaign in this financial year.
	The implementation of smokefree legislation in Wales and Northern Ireland is a devolved matter.

Special Advisers

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 20 March 2007,  Official Report, column 872W, on special advisers, whether her special advisers have given any notice of any external employment in the last 12 months.

Ivan Lewis: There is nothing further to add to the answer given on 20 March 2007,  Official Report, column 872W.

Taxi Contracts

Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the value of taxi contracts entered into by the NHS was in each year since 2000.

Andy Burnham: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Vaccination

Ian Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many adverse reactions to vaccines were reported between 1982 and 1985; and whether there were any deaths attributed to vaccination in each year.

Caroline Flint: The table lists the numbers of reports of suspected adverse reactions (ADRs) to vaccines submitted to the Medicines Division of the Department of Health, the responsible authority prior to the Medicines Control Agency, and current Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), via the yellow card scheme between 1 January 1982 and 31 December 1985.
	It is important to note that the report of a suspected ADR via the yellow card scheme and inclusion in this list does not necessarily mean that the event was caused by the vaccine. Suspected ADRs are suspicions that a vaccine may have caused an event and not proof of a causal association. For these events with a fatal outcome, causality with vaccination has not been proven.
	
		
			  Vaccine  Number of suspected ADRs reports where a vaccine was indicated as a suspected drug( 1)  Number of suspected ADRs reports with a fatal outcome( 1) 
			 Diphtheria 319 0 
			 Tetanus 382 0 
			 Pertussis 184 2 
			 Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP) 552 13 
			 Diphtheria and tetanus (DT) 479 4 
			 Measles 253 0 
			 Rubella 82 0 
			 Oral polio 46 3 
			 Influenza 89 5 
			 Pneumococcal 22 0 
			 BCG 130 0 
			 Typhoid 151 0 
			 Cholera 28 0 
			 Hepatitis B 33 0 
			 Rabies 16 0 
			 Yellow Fever 7 0 
			 Tick Borne encephalitis 2 0 
			 (1 )Reports in each column should not be added to derive a cumulative total as in many individual cases more than one vaccine may be co-suspect.

Websites

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many UK-based websites breached medicines legislation in each of the last 10 years; and what enforcement action has been taken.

Caroline Flint: In the United Kingdom, there are strict legal controls on the retail sale, supply and advertisement of medicinal products. These controls apply without distinction to medicines sold or supplied through internet transactions and mail order.
	The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) takes the view that internet and mail order sale and supply of medicines are acceptable provided these legal requirements are met. However, any website brought to their attention for breaching regulations will be investigated.
	Records held by MHRA show that from 1 April 1997 to date, out of 294 cases opened involving internet activity, 227 of these were found to be in breach of medicines legislation.
	MHRA will initially aim to achieve compliance with regulatory requirements, sites are contacted and given advice on UK statutory obligations. Although MHRA has no powers to force closure of websites, internet service providers are contacted concerning illegal activity and can close down offending sites. However, if compliance cannot be achieved, further action can be taken including a criminal prosecution brought through the criminal courts and civil proceedings.